Tt 2014 11 24

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monday november 24 2014 | thetimes.co.uk | no 71362

Valérie Trierweiler

François wantedPages me to have his baby 38-39 CLIVE ROSE / GETTY IMAGES

Tory right turns heat on Cameron over Europe

Laura Pitel, Tim Montgomerie

Double win Lewis Hamilton and his girlfriend, the singer Nicole Scherzinger, in Abu Dhabi, where his grand prix victory secured a second Formula One title. Pages 62-64

Revealed: shocking cost of divorce for children Young lives devastated by family breakdown, national survey finds Frances Gibb Legal Editor

Divorce has a devastating impact on the children of divided couples, leading to poor examination results and driving them to abuse alcohol or drugs, according to a survey being made public today.

Almost two thirds of children whose parents divorced said that the break-up affected their GCSEs. One in eight said that they had turned to drugs or alcohol to ease the stress.

Divorce also appears to trigger eating disorders, with almost one in three children saying that they ate more, or

less, after the family break-up. Each year about 100,000 under-16s experience divorce. The survey of children and young people aged 14 to 22 was commissioned by Resolution, the 6,500-strong association of family lawyers in England and Wales. Jo Edwards, its chairman, said the findings showed the far-reaching impact of divorce.

“Almost half of all break-ups occur when there is at least one child in the relationship, and with 230,000 people in England and Wales going through a divorce each year, and many separating, this issue affects hundreds of thou-

sands of families in Britain,” she said.

“The findings underline just how important it is that parents going through a split manage their separation in a way that minimises the stress and impact on the entire family,” she added.

The survey of 500 young people also showed the pressure that parents put on children during the divorce process.

Nearly one in three said one parent had tried to turn them against the other and more than a quarter said their parents tried to involve them in their dispute. Almost a fifth said they never saw grandparents again. Divorce is of

growing concern to schools, which struggle to deal with the fallout from the breakdown of relationships. Siôn Humphreys, a senior policy adviser at the National Association of Headteachers, said: “Teachers see day in, day out, the impact separation can have. It would not be unusual for the school to be the first port of call to support the parent left holding the baby, but it is not necessarily something teachers are specially trained for.”

The survey also found that almost a quarter of children struggled to Continued on page 4, col 1

David Cameron must hold a gun to the head of the European Union if he is to secure meaningful reform, a standardbearer for the Tory right will warn today.

Owen Paterson, the former environment secretary, will urge the prime minister to apply to leave the EU two years before holding a referendum.

The arrangement would be “enormously attractive to uncommitted voters and would give our negotiators a very clear mandate,” he will say.

Mr Paterson steps into the debate amid deep divisions in the Tory party over the best response to the threat of Ukip after last week’s by-election defeat in Rochester & Strood.

Tory modernisers broke cover yesterday to warn of the “complete futility of trying to outflank Ukip on the right”.

Today, the right-wing backbenchers David Davis and Liam Fox will call for the party to bring back grammar schools — a policy adopted by Ukip.

In a major speech to the group Business for Britain, Mr Paterson, will warn fellow supporters of a “Brexit” that without a “clear vision of what life outside the EU would look like”, voters could opt to maintain the status quo.

He will argue that, in order to present the best possible alternative to EU membership, Mr Cameron must trigger the formal mechanism for cutting ties with Brussels.

He will call on the prime minister to make a manifesto pledge to invoke immediately article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty if he wins a second term in office. The clause allows member states to activate a two-year process for leaving the union. Mr Paterson will say this was the only “legally binding” way to make the EU enter meaningful negotiations.

Following negotiations, he proposes an in/out referendum in 2017 offering voters a stark choice: fully integrated European membership, including joining the euro, or leaving the European political project and retaining only a trade agreement similar to the one enjoyed by Norway.

“The eurozone has already embarked upon a path that we can never follow,” Mr Paterson will say. “We Continued on page 2, col 3 Owen Paterson interview, page 9 Matt Ridley, page 17

IN THE NEWS House-building plea

Scrabble champion

Bad bedside manners

Sir Cliff may sue BBC

Israel ‘a Jewish state’

There is brownfield land for at least a million homes, the Campaign to Protect Rural England said as it accused ministers of letting developers target country sites. Page 2

Craig Beevers was crowned Britain’s first world Scrabble champion in more than 20 years. The former Countdown champion saw off 127 rivals from 32 countries. Page 3

Two thirds of young doctors struggle to be truthful with patients they like, according to researchers who warn that “chummy” medics are blurring boundaries. Page 5

Sir Cliff Richard is considering suing the BBC and police over the broadcaster’s live coverage of a raid on his home. BBC journalists were given notice of the operation. Page 12

The Israeli cabinet endorsed a bill declaring the country a Jewish state — a move that would alienate the Palestinian minority further and hasten elections. Page 22

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News INSIDE TODAY

Opinion

News

How the EU silences our voice in the world

Charity boxes ‘may be funding terrorism, warns UK’s most senior policeman

Matt Ridley, page 17

David Brown, page 10

times2

Meet Milos, the Montenegrin pin-up with plenty of pluck

Richard Morrison, pages 40, 41

Sport

Rodgers looking over his shoulder as Liverpool endure new indignity Matt Dickinson, pages 52-53

Opinion 17 Weather 17 Melanie Phillips 18 Cartoon 19 Leading articles 20 Letters 21 World 22-29 Business 30 Times2 38 Register 42, 43 Sport 46 Crosswords 45, 64 Please note, some sections of The Times are available only in the United Kingdom and Ireland

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Million homes on brownfield sites could save countryside Ben Webster Environment Editor

The number of new homes which could be built on brownfield land is being grossly underestimated by the government, which is allowing developers to target open countryside instead, according to the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

There is enough brownfield, or previously developed, land in England for at least a million homes, a report by the charity says.

The Department for Communities and Local Government said in August that there was enough brownfield land for “up to 200,000 new homes”.

The number of homes being built annually is at a historic low, having dropped from about 171,000 in 2007-08 to 112,000 in 2013-14, compared with up to 300,000 per year in the late 1960s and 1970s.

The rising population means demand for new homes is outstripping supply by two to one, with the government estimating that about 230,000 homes are needed each year.

Local authorities under pressure

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from the government to allocate land for housing have identified sites for up to 700,000 new homes in the countryside, including 200,000 in protected green belt land around cities, according to CPRE. It says that there is enough brownfield land to meet the entire housing need for at least four years without touching any countryside.

More than 400,000 homes could be built quickly on brownfield land which already has either detailed or outlined planning permission. Another 550,000 could be built on “suitable vacant or derelict land”, the report says, including at least 146,000 in London.

The campaign is calling on the government to reintroduce the “brownfield first” policy established in the 1990s by John Major’s government but effectively abolished by the national planning policy framework (NPPF) in 2012. This is supposed to support “sustainable development” but it says identified sites have to be “viable” and “deliverable”. The CPRE says these terms help developers to ignore brownfield sites and target the countryside for large and highly profitable schemes

containing hundreds of homes each.

Brownfield sites are often suitable for ten homes or less and it can be prohibitively expensive for small building companies to prepare the detailed submissions needed to obtain planning permission for them. They may also need to cleaned up and sites may have several different owners with restrictive covenants in place.

In 2008, less than a fifth of new homes were built on greenfield sites.

This had risen to a third by 2011, the last year for which figures are available, and the proportion is likely to have risen significantly since then, the campaign says. Paul Miner, its senior planning campaigner, said: “We can and must do more to get these sites redeveloped, whether it be reviving the National Land Use Database or implementing strong local plans to deal with multiple landowners on difficult sites.”

Brandon Lewis, the housing minister, said: “This government wants to see the maximum amount of brownfield land being used to build new homes, whilst also maintaining protections for our beautiful countryside.”

Elderly get helpline to report abuse Rosemary Bennett Social Affairs Correspondent

A loneliness helpline for older people has been recruited by the health watchdog to uncover cases of elder abuse amid fears that thousands of frail and vulnerable people are regularly harmed by their carers.

The Care Quality Commission has formed a partnership with the Silver Line where staff will help elderly people or their families gather details about possible abuse, raise concerns with management or refer cases to the inspectors. In extreme cases, the police or safeguarding authorities would be called.

Although the Silver Line is primarily concerned with tackling loneliness and isolation, it has received 13,750 calls about abuse since it launched last year, 5 per cent of the total number of calls.

Elder abuse has emerged as a serious

and growing problem with the most upto-date statistics showing that 104,000 frail and elderly people suffered abusive treatment in their own homes or in residential care last year.

Of the complaints made, 32,000 were allegations of physical assault, 36,000 involved neglect and 22,000 were financial abuse where people were cheated out of money.

Sophie Andrews, chief executive of the Silver Line, said that one of the first calls to the helpline when it opened last November was from a lady in a care home where residents had been left without food and with the heating off.

She was too afraid to give her name but did provide the name of the care home.

The police were called.

“The Silver Line is in a unique position to reach and be reached by people who would not otherwise report poor standards of care and neglect and to work with the CQC to better protect

Tory urges Cameron to trigger exit from Europe Continued from page 1

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

are simply recognising that reality. We must either be fully committed to ‘Le Project’ or we must build an entirely new relationship. The British people must be allowed to make that decision.

Article 50 is the only way of making that happen.”

Unveiling his referendum pledge in his Bloomberg speech almost two years ago, Mr Cameron argued that Britain’s national interest lay in remaining in a reformed European Union.

However, the continued ascent of Ukip and resulting pressure from his backbenchers has forced the prime minster to creep closer towards threatening to leave the EU if Britain does not secure its wishes, particularly on the question of freedom of movement.

Downing Street sources yesterday refused to confirm reports that MrCameron will this week make a long-awaited speech on immigration.

According to The Sunday Times, he will unveil plans to impose on two-year ban

on in-work benefits, inspired by proposals drawn up by the think tank Open Europe. The group argues that, by preventing new arrivals to Britain from claiming tax credits, housing benefits or social housing for two years, many would be less attracted by the prospect of coming to Britain.

The Tory veteran Ken Clarke yesterday warned that the idea would be “totally discriminatory,” while the former shadow home secretary David Davis said that “the simple truth” was that most people came to Britain in search of jobs, not benefits.

Such a move would also be unlikely to appease those calling for far more radical ideas to reduce the numbers of European migrants.

More trouble lies ahead for the prime minister with the publication of the quarterly migration figures on Thursday. The last set of statistics showed that ministers were wildly off target in their efforts to reduce net migration to “the tens of thousands”.

the most vulnerable and growing sector of our society — the frail oldest people,” she said.

Andrea Sutcliffe, chief inspector of adult social care at the CQC, said the partnership would help to uncover more cases of abuse. “We believe that working together, we will be able to improve the standards of care for older people that may be falling short of the quality they need and deserve,” she said.

The Silver Line was set up by Esther Rantzen with a grant from the Big Lottery Fund to tackle loneliness among the elderly, which she has said was now “an epidemic”. The television presenter also founded ChildLine in the 1980s.

In the first year it has received 275,000 calls, about 200,000 more than it had been expecting. The helpline matches lonely older people with a volunteer befriender who calls once a week. It is staffed 24 hours a day.

More IRA ‘sex abuse victims’ come forward Nadeem Badshah

The woman at the centre of a sex abuse scandal engulfing the IRA has revealed that more than 30 names of alleged offenders have now been given to Irish police.

Maíria Cahill, 33, who claims the IRA failed to report her alleged rape and sexual assault by a leading republican, said more people had contacted her with information about alleged abuse by members of the group after a BBC programme broadcast her allegations.

Speaking on RTE’s Saturday Night Show, Ms Cahill said that she had taken an overdose of sleeping pills in 2007.

Ireland’s director of public prosecutions has ordered an independent review of three cases linked to the claims, while, last month, Gerry Adams, the Sinn Féin president, apologised to victims of sexual abuse who were let down by the IRA during the Troubles.

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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The man who is never lost for words TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER BEN GURR

Briton becomes world Scrabble champion by holding his nerve and his tiles to the very end, Valentine Low writes

He was tired, he was wet and, at crucial moments, riven with self-doubt. But with the help of a Muslim divorce, a South American forest and a nasty inflammation, Craig Beevers was yesterday crowned Britain’s first world Scrabble champion for more than 20 years.

Mr Beevers, a former Countdown champion, beat Chris Lipe, an American unknown, in the final after seeing off 127 rivals from 32 countries.

The tapeworm might have done for him, so too the African monkey. And as for the pug — well, the less said about that the better — but in the end it was a convincing victory as his beat Mr Lipe 3-1, sealing the last game with TALAQ — a Muslim form of divorce — on the triple word square, scoring him 42 points and giving him an unassailable lead and a prize of £3,000.

Mr Beevers, 33, a mathematics graduate from Stockton-on-Tees, became the first British champion since Mark Nyman, who took the title in 1993, the second time the event had been held.

The UK now has two Scrabble world champions after Jack Durand, 14, from Highgate, north London, took the world youth title in Sri Lanka in August.

Mr Beevers, who when he is not taking part in Scrabble tournaments is organising Scrabble tournaments did not see his day get off to a good start.

Since the start of the tournament on Wednesday, he has been walking the three miles from his hostel to the Excel convention centre in London’s Docklands to clear his head. Yesterday, however, it was raining. “I got soaked,” he said. “My trousers are still wet.”

Meanwhile Mr Lipe, 34, a computer programmer from Clinton, New York, was playing barefoot. Eccentric? A weird Scrabble superstition to help him concentrate? No, his shoes and socks had also got wet.

The dark moments of doubt that can overshadow even the most proficient Scrabble player became apparent in the second game when Mr Beevers had the opportunity to play BLOKARTS — three-wheeled, wind-powered vehicles — for a bonus. Or is it actually BLOWKARTS? For several agonising minutes he pondered whether to make the play.

“There used to be a different spelling, with a W,” he said. “It was very tricky in the final to work out which was the right one. I was about 50 to 60 per cent sure, but the next best play was far worse.”

Scrabble fans take note: BLOKARTS is right, and in the right circumstances will earn you a hefty 80 points.

That helped him to win the second game, and set him up for a 2-0 lead, but

W

inning at Scrabble takes more than long lists of obscure words — but it helps (Valentine Low writes).

The most basic starting point is to know all the 120 twoletter words which can be used to clear your rack at the end of the game or score extra points on a full board.

High-scoring ones to remember include KY, QI, XU and ZO. A competitive player will also learn all the three-letter words and even all the four-letter ones, as well as memorising highscoring words that use difficult letters, such as QAT (a tea-like drug), OXIME (a chemical

The final board. Chris Beevers was given his trophy by Rachel Riley, below, from television’s Countdown

Trees, rocks and an oven spell victory gapo South American forest prone to flooding kon To know diorite Form of igneous rock

his other moment of doubt did not work out quite so well. At the start of the third game, Mr Beevers had the unpromising letters ADGPRSU: it takes a real champion to spot that this can make the ugly but legitimate word UPDRAGS for a healthy 78 points.

Mr Beevers, the curse of insecurity upon him,

xenic Denoting presence of bacteria talaq Muslim form of divorce umu Maori oven al East Indian tree

could not quite bring himself to do it. In went PUG, cleverly setting himself up for SPUG — a Scottish word for sparrow — but only scoring a measly 12. “I wasn’t sure,” he said.

“It happens more when you’re tired.

You discount words, and you make words up. I tried to be philosophical about it, but it irks you for the rest of the game. There is always that uncertainty with Scrabble. You cannot be 100 per cent on everything.”

His opponent, by contrast, had certainty — not to mention TAENIOID (ribbon-like, from the tapeworm taenia) and GUENONS (long-tailed monkeys) — on his side: game three to Mr Lipe.

In the end, however, there was no stopping Mr Beevers: not when he was going to play words like GAPO (a South American forest) or GLEET (inflammation of the urethra, with discharge of pus and mucus).

He was, naturally, rather pleased: it was, he said, even better than winning Countdown. But he was not planning any great celebrations last night. “I will be sitting on Facebook answering all the messages, exciting things like that,” he said. “I’m not very good at celebrating.”

Mr Beevers, who has been playing the game for just 12 years, was the UK champion in 2009.

Leading article, page 30

Singer apologises as Band Aid tops charts Dominic Kennedy

The Band Aid 30 charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas? went straight to No 1 in the charts yesterday, after Emeli Sandé, one of the singers, apologised for offence caused by its lyrics.

Bob Geldof’s update of his appeal song has been criticised as patronising over lines such as “It’s a world of dread and fear” and “Let them know it’s Christmas time”. New lyrics referring to

A night on the tiles

Emeli Sandé said the song needed to be rewritten

the ebola crisis, such as “A kiss of love can kill you” prompted the criticism.

The single, which is raising funds to combat the disease in west Africa, has sold more than 312,000 copies.

Sandé, who sings the line “At Christmas time it’s hard but while you’re having fun”, tweeted: “Yes, I agree the lyric needs changing. In fact, I feel a whole new song is required. Aside from my feeling regarding the lyric, there was no doubt in my mind or heart that

this project came from a place of pure and respectful intent.”

She added: “No offence or disrespect . . . was ever intended.”

Ian Birrell, a journalist, has criticised Band Aid as patronising and accused it of perpetrating myths. Geldof dismissed this criticism as a “complete load of b*******”.

George Osborne, the Chancellor, has agreed to waive VAT on sales so every penny raised would go to charity.

compound) and TOUZE (to haul).

“You’ve got to be aware of how a play scores, and how it sets you up for the next move,” said Craig Beevers. It might be better to play a lowerscoring word if it leaves common letters that could help you play all seven tiles next go.

Good players also know how to add to an existing word. When Mr Beevers put PUG as an opener, he knew he could use his S on the next go to make SPUG. There are strategic considerations, too.

“There is offensive and defensive,” said Mr Beevers. “Opening it up if you are behind, closing it down if you are ahead.”

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

News

GRAEME PEACOCK

Festive delight A display of lights created by the Duchess of Northumberland for the Grand Cascade at Alnwick Garden. The illuminations, which cost more than £100,000, can be visited until January 5

Gangs who use teens to sell drugs face people trafficking charges Georgie Keate

Gang leaders from London face charges of human trafficking if they recruit teenagers to sell drugs in the home counties, police have said.

The capital’s street gangs are increasingly looking to operate in provincial towns after a crackdown by the Metropolitan police, bringing with them an increase in theft, burglary and violent crime in more rural areas.

Detective Chief Inspector Tim Champion, head of the police’s antigang unit Trident, said that ringleaders were increasingly using teenagers, in particular young girls, to relocate from London to sell drugs across the southeast. “We are pushing to charge gang leaders with human trafficking if they are using vulnerable teenagers in this

crime,” he said. “Of course, we need to prove coercion, which is a challenge, but it sends a message to gangs that this is completely unacceptable.”

Mr Champion said that gangs were “evolving” from dealing drugs in London boroughs to paying for teenagers to live in rented accommodation in the home counties for them to sell illegal substances there.

“Many of the children are missing persons so we are starting to pick up on information when teenagers are found by police so far from home,” Mr Champion said. He added that the force was also beginning to work with several agencies, including the National Crime Agency, to map gang members and the teenagers they use outside London.

Matthew Reed, chief executive of the Children’s Society, supported the

Metropolitan police’s efforts to arraign ringleaders with the higher charge of human trafficking, saying: “Missing children are at serious risk of harm and it is crucial they are protected from exploitation. It is right to pursue traffickers rather than trafficked children. We fully support bringing to justice those who seek to exploit children by coercing them into committing crimes.”

Detective Superintendent Craig Dibdin, who heads the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit, said that an operation codenamed Holdcroft, made up of the Metropolitan police and forces in Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, Kent and Thames Valley, was set up in 2012 to begin tackling the issue of London gangs operating in the home counties.

“The first thing the police notice when London gangs have relocated to

areas outside the capital is the rise in violent crime involving weapons like knives and firearms,” he said. “Hampshire constabulary first responded to the problem with Operation Fortress after two murders in Southampton involving guns.

“Where drug lines are extended, associated violence follows, especially if there is competition in an area. That’s the main effect on the community.”

Mr Dibdin said that Operation Holdcroft was mapping the different gangs as well as quantifying the drugs leaving the city and being sold in the home counties.

“We are also mapping who the nastiest gangs are, the ones with the most amount of weapons, and the ones who are the biggest threat to local communities,” he said.

Divorce driving stressed children to drink Continued from page 1

complete homework, essays or assignments; 12 per cent confessed to skipping lessons and 11 per cent found themselves “getting into more trouble at school, college or university”.

Sir Paul Coleridge, a family High Court judge who set up the charity The Marriage Foundation, said: “Children almost never perform at their highest potential when their emotional life is chaotic, and family breakdown is the arch contributor to that. How many more studies and statistics do we need before we all, including government, wake and take this issue seriously? It is so unfair on the children and their life chances.”

The findings coincide with Family

Case study

M

olly Baker, 15, still feels the effects of her parents’ divorce after eight years because it was “long and acrimonious and involved quite a disruption to my life”.

Molly, who is studying for ten GCSEs, said: “Sometimes I felt caught in the middle and I would say: I am

only the messenger.”

Her week was split between houses.

Remembering what books she needed was quite a burden.

Her parents tried mediation but it did not work for them — although Molly said: “If it can work for some people I think it is a really good idea.”

Her present school was understanding

but at her primary school everyone knew everyone else. “If I tried to say something in confidence to a teacher, it would quickly get back to my parents and I didn’t want that.”

As for marriage: “I wasn't sure if I ever really wanted to marry but I am certainly not planning to now.”

Dispute Resolution Week in which family lawyers are promoting ways to settle divorce disputes that avoid going to court. Options included mediation and arbitration in which couples, helped by solicitors, worked together to sort out arrangements for money and children. Ms Edwards said such methods could be quick and cost effective.

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Midwives investigation Four midwives face being struck off over the deaths of at least 16 babies. The women, who are employed by University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Foundation Trust, will appear before the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

A further four midwives are under investigation. An inquiry is due to report in February.

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the times | Monday November 24 2014

Chummy young doctors are bad for your health Chris Smyth Health Correspondent

Two thirds of young doctors say that they struggle to be objective and truthful with patients they like, according to researchers who warn that “chummy” medics are blurring the boundaries between personal and professional relationships.

Doctors should not allow patients to call them by their first name, accept them as friends on Facebook or greet them with a hug, because this could impair their clinical judgment, according to academics writing in The Lancet Oncology. Regulators have warned that doctors who “breach boundaries” of friendship in real life or on social media could face disciplinary action for violating professional guidance.

Lesley Fallowfield, from Brighton and Sussex Medical School, said that doctors who had grown up in a “cyberworld” where formal distinctions have been eroded are particularly likely to blur the line. “If you start off with a chummy, informal introduction, you’re already on dangerous ground,” she said.

Doctors are rightly encouraged to be empathetic with patients, but a sympathetic look or a pat on the arm are enough and doctors should not feel the need “to do the sort of thing you would do if it was your mum or your best friend,” Professor Fallowfield said.

“The difficulty, if you hug and kiss patients, if you allow them to call you by your first name, is that quickly the relationship can become confused as a social one rather than a professional one. This becomes a problem for both sides. Doctors become confused, ‘I

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really like this person, how can I bear to tell them that they’re going to die?’

“They find it more difficult to be objective. It can mean patients feel intimidated about complaining, or even mentioning side effects that could be very important, ‘It doesn’t seem fair to go on about it because they’re doing their best’.” A survey of 338 oncologists under the age of 40 found that 59 per cent said that they found it difficult to be truthful if they liked a patient, and 60 per cent felt that if doctors were too empathetic they could not make objective decisions.

Professor Fallowfield said that this was “alarming”, as were findings that half the doctors had given patients their personal mobile numbers, a fifth had accepted social invitations from patients and 14 per cent had accepted them as friends on Facebook.

“You don’t want your doctor to start censoring themselves because they don’t want to upset you,” she said. “For example, if instead of having a painful conversation about palliative care, you recommend more [fruitless] chemotherapy with all its side effects, you really haven’t done well by your patients.”

A spokeswoman for the General Medical Council said: “The rise in the use of social media also brings new challenges and doctors must consider the risks involved and the impact it could have on the relationship with their patients. Our guidance explains that the standards expected of doctors do not change because they are communicating through social media rather than face to face.”

Police fill in May fears MP as ambulances sex claims are fail to arrive tip of iceberg Chris Smyth

David Brown

Police say they are being forced to take patients to hospital because ambulances are unavailable.

Senior officers have launched an inquiry into concerns that police are having to act as drivers for patients, and provide first aid, because paramedics cannot respond to 999 calls. Some have claimed that ambulance bosses are using the police to help make sure targets are met.

Simon Cole, chief constable of Leicestershire police, is heading the inquiry into the problem on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers. He told The Sunday Telegraph: “I am concerned that police officers on occasion are having to transport people to hospital when they should not have to do so, because there isn’t ambulance availability. It is not uncommon, and we are working hard to understand what contributes to it. We are anxious that we are spending time supporting the ambulance service.”

Ambulances have been taking longer to respond to emergencies as they struggle with rising numbers of 999 calls.

The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives insisted it was “very rare” for police to take patients to hospital, and denied it was a deliberate policy.

Allegations of child sex abuse involving MPs, other establishment figures and public institutions that have emerged so far are just the “tip of the iceberg”, Theresa May said yesterday.

The home secretary said that it was crucial for society to “get to the truth” of what happened in the 1970s and 1980s and Britain’s most senior police officer insisted there would be no cover-up.

Among the latest allegations are that police may have helped to cover up the murder of a boy by a Westminster paedophile ring, based at an apartment block near the House of Commons.

Mrs May told BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show it was “not possible” to say whether there had been a cover-up in the abuse and murder of young boys.

She said: “How was it that in the past, but continuing today, the very institutions of the state that should be protecting children were not doing so? We must as a society, I believe, get to the truth of that and because I think what we’ve already seen revealed is only the tip of the iceberg on this issue.”

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan police commissioner, said that officers were taking the claims “seriously”. He added there would be “no cover-up while I’m here”.

Melanie Philips, page 18

News REX FEATURES

Please look after this actress Nicole Kidman, who plays Millicent in Paddington, arrives for the film’s premiere in London

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News

Food poison bug spread by workers at chicken farms Chris Smyth

Shoppers must decide whether a choice of different-sized chickens is worth the extra risk of food poisoning, experts said, after figures showed that farm workers who kill younger birds spread a deadly bug.

Many outbreaks of campylobacter appear to be started by agricultural firms carrying infections between farms, a study suggests.

This week the Food Standards Agency will name the retailers with the highest rates of contamination by the bacterium, which is estimated to kill 100 people and make 280,000 others ill every year. Victims fall ill when they do not cook chicken properly or allow raw meat to touch kitchen surfaces.

Farmers have blamed the spread of the bug on birds and rats, but research suggests that contractors who removed smaller birds from flocks — a process known as “thinning” — are often to blame. Half of flocks that were “thinned” recorded a campylobacter infection less than two days later, according to a study published in the journal Epidemiology and Infection.

Richard Griffiths, of the British Poultry Council, said thinning was used to give consumers a wider choice of birds of different sizes. “In theory, if you stop

thinning, you reduce the risk of campylobacter getting into negative flocks,” he said. “It’s an issue. Would you as consumers accept a smaller choice if it helped fix this other problem? Questions like that need work between producers and retailers.”

He said the industry accepted that thinning teams spreading the bug from farm to farm was a problem, and that companies were trying to redesign equipment to make it easier to eliminate campylobacter.

Vivien Allen, of the University of Bristol, who conducted the research with colleagues at the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, said: “In the UK the process is usually carried out not by farm staff but by specialist poultry company staff or contractors. The poultry companies have strict protocols to minimise or prevent the introduction of campylobacter on to the farm during these procedures.

“However, despite strenuous efforts by both the industry and research funded by government agencies it has proved extremely difficult to fully sterilise equipment such as poultry crates or vehicles.”

Last week it emerged that supermarkets were selling chicken they know to be contaminated with campylobacter without telling consumers.

NICK ANSELL / PA

Monday November 24 2014 | the times

Wage earners can’t escape poverty trap Dominic Kennedy

Exotic beauty Sotheby’s expects Odalisque Au Fauteuil Noir, a portrait by Matisse of the great-granddaughter of the last sultan of Turkey, to fetch up to £12 million

Most unemployed people who find jobs are paid less than a living wage and will probably fail to escape from low pay, a report today says.

All types of workers have experienced a fall in real terms earnings since the financial crisis of 2008. By contrast, pensioners are better off than ever.

Employees are on average receiving £43 a week less in real terms and the self-employed get £33 a week less. The figures were compiled for the Joseph Rowntree Trust’s annual monitoring poverty and social exclusion report, written by the New Policy Institute.

Employment has reached nearrecord levels but more people are working for lower rewards. Social mobility is rare, with the poor trapped on incomes that are just above subsistence level.

Two thirds of people moving from unemployment into work in the past year are paid below the “living wage” of £7.85 an hour. The prospects for the worst paid workers are poor: only a fifth of low-paid employees had left lowpaid work completely after ten years.

Tom MacInnes, the institute’s research director, said: “This report highlights some good news on employment — but earnings and incomes are still lower than five years ago, and most people who moved from unemployment into work can only find a low-paid job.”

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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News STEPHEN SIMPSON/LNP; SWNS; STAN KUJAWA

The promenade at Southwold, Suffolk. Above, a surfer enjoys

A frosty end to the weekend downpour

F

ifty flood alerts were issued yesterday after heavy rain across the south and east threatened to give way to a cold snap last night (Tom Whipple writes).

Parts of East Anglia and the south coast were particularly affected by the downpours, which

brought more than 20mm of rain to some places. With the water falling on saturated ground, the Met Office said that flooding was possible, but would be followed by clear skies.

Calum MacColl, a Met Office forecaster, said: “That band of rain is going to be moving

through during the evening and behind it, most notably, there’s a risk of frost as a much colder band of air moves in. The country will see a ground frost across many parts, with a risk of air frost with that.

“The far northwest will escape it as the warm air will still be

with them, although many other areas will see temperatures drop to minus 2 or minus 3, while frost-prone areas could see minus 4 and minus 5.”

Although today will start cold, temperatures are expected to rise by lunchtime. “It will be a cold and crisp morning,

but after a chilly dawn a warmer day will develop,” Mr MacColl said. “A band of rain will begin to move in to western Scotland in the afternoon. Later the risk of some thicker cloud and rain threatens some southern coastal counties as well, pushing north. That rain is more

Ski holidays on slippery slope as chalet girls are promised pay rise Charles Bremner Paris

British tour operators are threatening to reduce the number of ski holidays they offer in Austria after authorities decided to enforce a steep minimum wage for foreign staff, a year after Switzerland adopted similar measures.

British travel companies are upset that they will have to pay their estimated 500 staff in Austria the local hotel industry minimum wage of around €1,000 (£790) a month, even though Britons are partly paid in kind with board and lodging.

Austria has decided to clamp down to conform to EU rulings introduced to prevent the abuse of foreign labour by paying them less than nationals of the EU state in which they work.

The Swiss measures, which were announced this year, added to pressure on British winter holiday operators who have been facing resistance for decades in France, Italy and other destinations over the employment of Britons.

Last year, more than 400,000 British tourists went skiing in the Austrian Alps, the fifth-largest foreign contingent after Germans, Dutch, Swiss and Italians.

The Austrian measure will have an

impact on British companies which operate chalets with expatriate staff.

Companies including Inghams, Esprit Ski, Ski Total and VIP, which run their own accommodation, say the new rules complying with EU regulations against “social dumping” will force them to consider reducing their operations.

Andy Perrin, head of Hotelplan UK, which owns Inghams, Ski Total and Ski Esprit, said the new law was a blow.

“We first heard about this a fortnight ago and we are trying to make sense of it,” he told The Sunday Telegraph.

“We take extreme exception to the suggestion that we are wage dumping.

On the salary packages that we offer, what our staff have in their pockets is considerably more than anyone on the minimum wage in the UK.” The Austrian measure allows for fines of up to €10,000 per employee if the companies do not adhere to the amended legislation.

British operators are hoping to negotiate a delay in the introduction of the new regulations, to avoid closing chalet programmes as they have done in Switzerland for this season.

The change in the Swiss law prompted a marked rise in bookings this season in Austrian resorts such as

Lech and St Anton. Ulrike RauchKeschmann, of the Austrian Tourist Board, said that the new regulations were aimed at making it easier to prosecute social security fraud by employers but ski tour operators should by law have already been paying the minimum wage.

In France, which is the chief destination for British skiers, UK firms pay the French minimum wage but they have been able to offset this against the provision of board, lodging and ski passes.

In France and Italy, British operators face continuing resistance against demands from the authorities that their instructors hold locally recognised qualifications. Last week, tour operators in the Italian Payment in kind will no longer cut the ice in Austria.

Britons will have to get the local minimum wage

Saunton Sands, north Devon.

Below, puppies at the Yorkshire

region of Piedmont were told by the local ski school association that ski hosting, in which an employee from a tour operator accompanies guests on the pistes, breaches the law. That prompted Inghams and Crystal to halt their ski hosting services.

A French court said that the practice breaks the law, which requires paid leaders of organised groups to be suitably qualified. Le Ski, the tour operator at the centre of the dispute, is appealing to a court in Paris. While most British instructors in France obtain French documents, some have fought the rules in the courts.

Simon Butler, who runs a firm in the resort of Megève, was fined £24,000 in the summer for operating a ski school without possessing the requisite licences.

Husky Meet in Filey, don’t fear the expected cold snap

likely to come overnight and on Tuesday there will be a north-south split with it warmer in the north, and where there are clear skies there may also be a risk of frost.”

The weather will remain unsettled for the rest of the week.

Forecast, page 17

Emergency flood funding ‘too complex’ Jill Sherman Whitehall Editor

Councils have called on ministers to set up a single online emergency fund for flooding this winter after the chaos last year.

With the Met Office forecasting months of rainfall, councils are already bracing themselves for heavy flooding in some areas. While they are better prepared than last year, they claim that ministers are not responding to pleas for a co-ordinated, simplified fund in the event of another emergency.

The government announced 14 different flood relief funding pots worth almost £450 million last winter over a period of about two months. Each had its own specific criteria and application process, often making it overcomplicated for communities to access, the Local Government Association says.

“We must avoid a repeat of last year when new funding pots were announced by the government on a weekly basis, creating confusion about how to apply and what it could be spent on,” said Peter Box, the LGA’s environment spokesman.

A spokesman for the Department for Communities said: “We are currently reviewing arrangements for flood recovery funding and will be making an announcement shortly.”

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

News Politics

Disrespectful tweet has hit poll hopes, warn top Labour figures Laura Pitel Political Correspondent

Ed Miliband was right to sack a frontbencher who tweeted a picture of a house decked out in England flags because the episode damaged Labour’s election prospects, Rachel Reeves said yesterday.

The shadow work and pensions secretary described the post by Emily Thornberry as “condescending and disrespectful” towards working people and said that she was “angry” when she saw it.

“I’m working hard, as are other Labour MPs and activists around the country trying to get a Labour government back in six months’ time and she set that process back,” Ms Reeves said.

“So he [Ed Miliband] was angry, Labour activists and MPs were angry. I think it’s right that she’s gone.”

Ms Thornberry was forced to resign as shadow attorney general on Thursday after posting the image of the house with a white van parked outside, along with the words: “Image from #Rochester”, prompting fury on social media and beyond.

The timing was disastrous for Mr Miliband, who has spent the past month trying to convince the electorate that he understands why supporters are tempted to vote for Ukip

Emily Thornberry finds a flag of St George outside her home in Islington

after narrowly avoiding defeat in the Greater Manchester seat of Heywood and Middleton. The Labour leader had hoped that the Conservatives’ defeat by Ukip in Rochester & Strood would take the pressure off him after a difficult few weeks. Instead, Labour’s woes still dominate the news agenda. The fallout continued yesterday, as David Lammy, the MP for Tottenham and a possible

Labour candidate for the role of London mayor, claimed that his party felt “culturally adrift”.

Writing in The Mail on Sunday, the former universities minister said that many Labour politicians hailed from “liberal, professional backgrounds” and found it hard to understand the views of those who were from less affluent families. “They have benefitted from global-

isation — they mix in social circles with people who work in multinational firms, enjoy foreign travel and find diversity enriching,” he wrote.

“Much of Labour’s traditional electoral base does not feel this way. Globalisation may have brought people slightly cheaper consumer goods, but it has also put pressure on wages and made jobs feel insecure.

“Large parts of the country feel that Labour not only disagrees with them, they think we disapprove of them too.

This has to change.”

Another mayoral hopeful, Margaret Hodge, appeared to take a swipe at the Labour leadership when she said that politicians who had never had a job outside Westminster found it harder to connect with the public. She told the BBC: “Alienation from the mainstream political class is huge. And it’s not about who we are, it’s about our experiences.”

A further blow was delivered by the Labour MP Frank Field, who claimed that Mr Miliband’s inner circle was like a “Berlin Wall trying to reach out to ordinary voters”. Attacking those he described as “the north London set,” he said: “Like the Berlin Wall they’ve got to be demolished.”

Mr Field said that the Rochester incident was “the most serious thing that has happened” to Labour in recent

months “because it gives vent to what everybody’s guts are telling them about us. Ed’s trying to move us on immigration and welfare and with one blast of a tweet she wrecks that and puts us back to square one.” He said that Labour needed to offer “something really dramatic on immigration” to convince voters that “we have changed”.

One MP, however, rallied to the support of Ms Thornberry, arguing that it was a “mistake” to sack her. “Emily Thornberry is not a snob, she doesn’t look down on council tenants,” Diane Abbott told Sky News.

“She couldn’t hold her seat — which is quite a marginal one — if she didn’t do a lot of work with council tenants.

She has probably knocked on more council estate doors than many of her critics.”

Power spat over Scotland, page 14 Libby Purves, page 19

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the times | Monday November 24 2014

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Politics News

TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER, ANDREW FOX

Robust Tory policies are the way to see off Ukip, says Paterson Tim Montgomerie

Owen Paterson: Tories need to understand those who “voted for Thatcher but don’t identify with today’s Conservatives”

“I admire Douglas Carswell and Mark Reckless for setting a new constitutional convention.

They resigned their seats and sought the approval of their local electors to continue as MPs.” Those, however, are the last words of praise that Owen Paterson can find for Ukip. “They have no serious policies. They offer laughable solutions to complex problems. If they ever got close to power they would fail and would only deepen disillusionment with politics.”

Mr Paterson sighs as he reflects on how his fellow Conservatives have tried to tackle the Ukip terrier snapping at David Cameron’s ankle. “The insults must stop. Most Ukip voters want robust and Conservative policies.

Lower taxes. Cheaper energy. Honesty about immigration. Fairness for England. We give them Conservative policies and we win them back.”

The Conservatives aren’t giving them Conservative policies at the moment? “Not enough of them.”

The development of robust, Conservative policies is the mission of the new UK2020 think-tank that Mr Paterson launched earlier this month.

“We need,” Mr Paterson tells me, “to understand the hardworking classes who voted for Thatcher but don’t identify with today’s Conservatives.”

In July, Mr Paterson became one of three reforming ministers to be moved from their posts by David Cameron in a ministerial reshuffle. Michael Gove was upsetting teachers. Nicholas Boles, the former planning minister, was upsetting the nimby lobby. Mr Paterson was upsetting what he refers to as the “green blob”, the environmental groups that oppose fracking and GM crops.

Unlike Mr Gove and Mr Boles, who were given other jobs, Mr Paterson was sacked but exile hasn’t silenced him.

He is in the middle of a series of speeches in which he is setting out what “robust Conservatism” could look like.

His first called for the scrapping of the current climate change policy regime.

Wind farms are, he says, “a grotesque squandering of public money”.

Later today he will give his second big policy speech. It’s on the subject that has the capacity to tear the Tory party apart: Europe. He believes that the British people have been systematically

deceived about Brussels. “We were told that it wasn’t a political project — only a common market — but Macmillan, Wilson and Heath knew that it was.

They misled the people.

“People voted to join because politicians told them that it was the answer to Britain’s economic troubles.

But France and Germany were growing strongly before the formation of the then European Coal and Steel Community.”

Mr Paterson thinks the EU is fundamentally broken and Britain would have more influence if we left its political structures. “We now have only 8 per cent of the votes on the Council of Ministers. If we were an independent nation we’d be able to have our own seat on the world trading bodies. Like Canada does. Like New Zealand. Like Australia.”

He wants the next Tory manifesto to promise to invoke article 50 of the Lisbon treaty. Once it’s triggered the EU would be required to negotiate a new relationship with Britain over a two-year period. “They give us a new deal or we can vote to leave in the 2017 referendum,” Mr Paterson says. I ask him if he expects Mr Cameron to accept his manifesto proposal. “I have no idea.”

And would voters believe that Mr Cameron was serious about renegotiation if he did? A very long pause follows. Searching for something diplomatic to say, he eventually replies that “all party leaders aren’t trusted at the moment. That’s why Ukip are flourishing.” Not that diplomatic then.I ask him if the Tory leadership approve of his series of speeches. Another pause.

“I recently had a very friendly meeting with the chief whip.”

I ask Mr Paterson if he wants to be Tory leader. His answer is emphatic.

“No.” Not in any circumstances?

“None.” He is also straightforward when I ask him if he regrets voting against same-sex marriage. I note that the education secretary, Nicky Morgan, has changed her mind. Has he? “No.” No qualms at all? “No. I don’t regret my vote. It’s important to be consistent in politics.”

That’s Owen Paterson. The consistent Conservative planning to help to revive the Conservative wing of the Conservative party, one speech at a time.

Leading article, page 20

Cameron faces grammar school fight Gloves off as EU bureaucrats Greg Hurst Education Editor

A campaign to force David Cameron to allow new grammar schools is to be launched by a Conservative pressure group.

Conservative Voice, a right-wing campaign group backed by David Davis and Liam Fox, will lobby for the party’s manifesto to pledge a legal change to let new selective schools open. If the prime minister and his allies reject the plan, supporters plan grassroots constituency campaigns with Tory MPs and candidates who support the idea, in defiance of the leadership.

The group was set up two years ago

by Don Porter, a former chairman of the National Conservative Convention, the party’s voluntary wing, and deputy chairman of the party board, with the aim of reconnecting with voters. It claims to be the party’s fastest-growing

movement. The plans reflect the grassroots battle the party faces as it seeks to keep its schools policy focused on improving all-ability academies rather than creating new grammar schools.

This month The Times reported that Theresa May, the home secretary, had welcomed a consultation on proposals for a “satellite” grammar school in her constituency of Maidenhead, Berkshire. Local Tory councillors have spoken to nearby grammars, including Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, about opening a campus to meet demand for new secondary places.

Kent county council has re-submitted plans for a satellite selective school in Sevenoaks as an annex of Weald of Kent girls’ grammar school in Tonbridge, nine miles away. It is backed

by Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, and MP for Sevenoaks.

Councillors have given planning permission and put aside £16 million to build the campus and said it could open in 2016, if ministers approve the proposal.

Tony Blair and David Blunkett banned new grammar schools in the School Standards and Framework Act. However, Tory councils believe they can bypass this by proposing the expansion of an existing selective school on a new site, but Michael Gove, while education secretary, blocked two such proposals in Sevenoaks last year.

Conservative Voice will launch a campaign to overturn this law and allow new selective schools at an event in Kent next Thursday. Mr Porter said supporting grammar schools was a way to reach out to new voters such as ethnic minorities. “My gut feeling is that the majority of the Conservative seats in cabinet would be sympathetic,” he said.

in a lather over kitchen safety

Laura Pitel

The price of rubber gloves and oven gloves could rise by a fifth under new European proposals, a minister claims.

The EU will vote next week on a personal protective equipment directive that requires the products to meet certain standards.

Oven gloves would need to show they could withstand heat of around 200 degrees. Rubber gloves for washing up would have to show that they were resistant to “basic detergents” such as Fairy Liquid.

Matthew Hancock, the business minister, called the effort “completely bonkers. It would place a huge weight on busi-

nesses who are trying to serve their customers,” he said.

A Brussels source said it was unlikely that products that already met basic standards would rise in price, adding that only those that advertised claims about their heat-resistant or detergentproof powers would have to comply.

The source added: “Of course, some might think oven gloves that don’t stop hot dishes burning you or rubber gloves that don’t resist detergents are not much use and think it sensible to prevent them claiming to be . . . and might also think this will also benefit manufacturers of goods that do the job they are supposed to.”

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

News

Charity boxes may be funding terrorism David Brown

Members of the public should be careful about giving money to charities because donations could be used to fund Islamist terrorists, Britain’s most senior police officer warned yesterday.

Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said that his officers had foiled four or five terror plots by Muslim extremists this year, compared with one a year normally.

He said that there had been a “change to the drumbeat, we’ve seen a change to the frequency and the

seriousness of the types of plots that we’re looking at”.

Sir Bernard said that there was growing concern about “lone wolf” attacks similar to the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby close to an army barracks in Woolwich, southeast London, in May last year.

He added that when an estimated 500 British jihadis who have gone to fight in Syria and Iraq return to Britain they will be “militarised . . . have a complex network of people they know and they will have Fears: Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe

learnt tactics that they may want to use here”.

Sir Bernard told the The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One that Scotland Yard would this week seek public support to tackle terrorism, including trying to cut off funding for extremist groups.

“Are those charity boxes actually going to charity or are they going to someone else,” he said. “We want to cut off the tools the terrorists use, where they’re going to get weapons.”

The Times revealed last week that dozens of British Muslim groups are being secretly monitored by the Charity Commission because of concerns that they may be involved in radicalisation and extremism.

Five organisations are the subject of full statutory inquiries amid concerns

that they are being used as cover by foreign fighters to enter Syria.

The groups include al-Fatiha Global, which Alan Henning was working with when he was captured and later murdered by Islamic State. The charity has insisted that it is a legitimate humanitarian group.

Theresa May, the home secretary, will announce today that the police are to get powers to force internet companies to hand over details that could help identify suspected terrorists.

The Anti-Terrorism and Security Bill will oblige internet service providers to retain information linking internet protocol addresses to individual users.

Sir Bernard acknowledged that there is growing public concern about surveillance by the state as a result of leaks

by Edward Snowden, who worked for the United States’ National Security Agency.

He said: “People have started to mistrust the state and worry about their privacy. I understand that. My job is obviously to help keep people safe. To get that balance between security and privacy is parliament’s job.”

6 A man from London is reported to have died while fighting in Syria, bringing the death toll of British jihadists to about 30. Abu Dharda, 20, who comes from a Somali background, is understood to have travelled to Syria in December last year. He is believed to have been killed while fighting with Abu Abdullah al Habashi, 21, also from London, in the border town of Kobani, which has been hit by American airstrikes.

British ex-soldiers join Kurdish forces to fight jihadists David Brown

Two former British soldiers fighting against Islamic State in Syria claim they were driven to act by the international failure to protect civilians.

James Hughes, 26, and Jamie Read, 24, are fighting alongside other foreign volunteers with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, defending the city of Kobani, near the Turkish border, where Islamic State (Isis) forces have been accused of beheading children Postings on Facebook suggest that the British men have been involved in firefights with Islamic State forces.

Mr Hughes, from Malvern, Worcestershire, claimed to have joined 2nd Battalion of The Mercian Regiment in 2009 and to have served three tours of Afghanistan before leaving the army after November last year.

Mr Read, who grew up in Carlisle and was living in Lanarkshire, claimed to have specialised in reconnaissance while serving with the infantry “all over the world” before leaving the army in 2010 and working in security in nightclubs and other settings.

The men, who appear to have arrived in Syria this month, denied that they were mercenaries and said they were not being paid by the Kurdish forces.

They said in a statement: “Procrastination leads to inaction. Inaction leads to tragedy for those who do not have the luxury of philosophical debate

while they are terrorised and slaughtered in their homes, towns and villages.

“This is not a religious war nor is it a racial war, this is a war of good against evil — a magnificent simplicity.”

The men said that women and children were being murdered as “the international community stands by and observes from the luxury of their board rooms or their tanks on the hill”.

Mr Read, nicknamed the Beard, told friends on Facebook before leaving for Syria: “It looks like all the hard work has [paid] off I . . . all I can say is this time next week I will be living the dream.”

Lara Read, his sister, said that his family were concerned for his safety but were also “very proud of him”.

The Britons joined a militia group known as Lions of Rojava, which includes other European and north American fighters, including Jordan Matson, who is said to have recruited them. It has the motto: “Send terrorists to hell and save humanity.” They were pictured on the group’s website.

A girl from Haringey, north London, is also reported to be trying to join Kurdish forces in Syria. The 17-yearold, of Kurdish descent, was last seen in Belgium after taking the Eurostar.

A spokeswoman for the Home Office said that fighting on either side in Syria “can be an offence under both criminal and terrorism laws”. The Ministry of Defence said it could not comment on the men’s claimed military careers.

Jordan Matson, left, is reported to have recruited Jamie Read to fight against Islamic State with the Lions of Rojava

Son of Isis bride questioned over the burning of village flag Sean O’Neill Crime Editor

Police are investigating whether the spectre of the Syrian civil war hangs over an act of vandalism in a Kent village in which a Union Jack was torn down and burnt.

One of three youths arrested in connection with the incident in Borough Green, near Sevenoaks, is the son of a woman who has gone to Syria and claims to be living in the Islamic State’s self-styled caliphate.

The teenager is the elder son of Sally Jones, 45, a former rock singer and perfume saleswoman from Chatham, who travelled to Syria at the end of last year with her new husband, Junaid Hussain, 20, a convicted computer hacker from Kings Heath, Birmingham. The couple,

who met online before running off together, tweet regularly about their life in Raqqa in northern Syria. Jones, who calls herself Sakinah Hussain and uses the account Umm Hussain al-Britani, selectively quotes verses from the Koran and calls to war from Osama bin Laden and other jihadist leaders. She has had a number of Twitter accounts and used one, since deleted, to threaten to behead people with “a blunt knife”.

Hussain uses the Twitter name Abu Hussain al-Britani and has posted pictures of himself armed with an AK47, praised suicide attacks and endorsed the call from an Islamic State spokesman for extremist sympathisers to carry out attacks in Britain.

On November 7, he wrote: “Is there not anyone in the UK that will respond

to the call of Sheikh Muhammad al Adnani? Wheres the lions at! [sic]”.

In 2012 Hussain was jailed for hacking former prime minister Tony Blair’s personal details and jamming the national counter-terrorism hotline. He was on police bail after being arrested for a violent offence when he absconded and travelled to Syria.

The flag-burning incident occurred outside Borough Green library on the night of Monday, October 27. The vandals shinned up the flagpole, pulled down the Union flag and set light to it.

Detectives are believed to be conducting DNA tests on the flag which was reportedly spat on.

Ms Jones’s son, who is aged 18, was arrested by police shortly after the incident and has since been released on

The flag, outside the Borough Green library, was pulled down and set alight

bail. Two other boys, both aged 14, have also been arrested. It is understood that the incident was captured on CCTV. Mike Taylor, the parish council chairman, found the charred flag the next morning and said it had been par-

ticularly upsetting because of the closeness of the incident to Remembrance Sunday and ceremonies to mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. Mr Taylor said the village was “proud of being British” and flies two Union flags, one near the library and one at a crossroads. The vandalised flag was replaced within days by workmen who were also putting up the village Christmas lights.

Kent police are investigating the incident and have liaised with the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit for whom Hussain and Jones are subjects of close interest.

Police said the investigation was, at present, a criminal damage case rather than an anti-terrorism inquiry.

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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Briton jailed in Iran is reunited with her family Hugh Tomlinson

A British-Iranian woman jailed in Iran after trying to watch a men’s volleyball match has been released on bail as she appeals against a one-year jail term for spreading propaganda against the state.

Ghoncheh Ghavami, was reunited with her parents outside Qarchak prison in the town of Varamin, south of Tehran, after a five-month ordeal that has sparked outrage at home and abroad.

Her parents, who have campaigned tirelessly for her release and even went on hunger strike in support of their daughter, were overwhelmed to have her home, relatives said yesterday.

“I finally heard her voice after 149 days — it was a very emotional moment,” said Ms Ghavami’s brother, Iman, who lives in London and spoke to his sister after her release.

“My mother couldn’t stop crying. It is just an enormous relief for everyone.

For my parents, particularly, the pain of seeing their daughter behind bars was devastating.”

Relief for the law graduate from London, who celebrates her 26th birthday today, may be temporary. She remains convicted of spreading propaganda against the regime and is banned from leaving Iran for two years. If her appeal fails, or she is deemed to have violated her bail, she can be dragged back to complete a one-year jail term.

For now, her family is delighted to have Ms Ghavami home. During her incarceration, she spent 41 days in solitary confinement in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. Two hunger strikes in protest at her treatment have left her very weak, relatives said.

“Ghoncheh is shocked. She is delighted, of course, but she is still trying to take it in,” Iman said. “She just wants to spend time with her family now and then we will look to the appeal. She is not free yet. Bail is not freedom. The case should never have got this far and

we will keep campaigning until she is declared innocent.”

Ms Ghavami was arrested in June as she joined a group of about 20 women who tried to enter Tehran’s Azadi stadium to watch the national volleyball team play Italy, flouting a ban on women watching men’s sport. Her British citizenship saw her singled out, a prized asset for regime hardliners waging a power struggle against President Rouhani, who fear Iran’s tentative détente with the West over recent months.

The case exposed deep rifts within the regime. Hardliners in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard have pushed to have Ms Ghavami charged with endangering national security, which carries a sentence up to six years in jail. In more hysterical corners of Iran’s conservative press, she has been denounced as a British spy.

The decision to confirm a one-year sentence but release her suggests that moderate voices in Tehran have won the argument, for now at least. At a time when Iran is locked in crunch talks with the West over its disputed nuclear programme, the international campaign swelling around the case has become an embarrassment.

The regime has also been stung by domestic anger as the popularity of volleyball brought the incident to wider public attention. After Ms Ghavami, Iran was stripped of international tournaments by the sport’s governing body until the ban on women attending matches is lifted.

Members of the national team leant their support and a global campaign for her release has swept through the sport.

Andy Slaughter, her MP in Hammersmith, west London, said: “It is excellent news that Ghoncheh has been released from prison apparently on bail, and a tribute to the campaign her family in Britain and Iran have run over the past five months. Support for her has come from around the world.

Designer’s ‘magical winter land’ closes after one day A festive winter wonderland, promised to be the “theatre production of the year” for families and masterminded by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, has been shut after just one day following hundreds of complaints from angry parents.

Visitors to The Magical Journey attraction at the Belfry golf club, near

Llewelyn-Bowen’s wonderland offered refunds after hundreds of complaints

Wishaw, Warwickshire, were promised a spectacular and exciting Christmas experience “the likes of which has not been seen before”.

Christmas spirit was lacking as parents complained that children were given “rubbish, cheap presents” after

hour-long queues to see Father Christmas. Single tickets cost up to £22.50.

Some visitors expressed safety fears after “reckless” driving of the train, and some spotted elves having to push the train up a hill.

At the launch of the wonderland, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, bestknown for his appearances on the television programme Changing Rooms, said: “We set ourselves a very high bar.

We wanted to push the envelope.”

Organisers said that the attraction would close until Wednesday so that they could implement changes and improvements. Refunds were offered to unsatisfied customers. On its Facebook site, organisers said: “It is important that we deliver the high quality experience you are expecting and hope to reopen with improvements and changes having been made. We have also had difficulty with torrential rain on site affecting the lighting and sound.”

Unhappy families took to Facebook with complaints. Natalie Craig wrote on Facebook: “Magical experience, what a joke and it didn’ t even last the allocated time of 80/90 minutes either,” she said. Another visitor said that she had to sit on the floor to feed her baby as no chairs were provided.

Ghoncheh is a young woman of great courage. Though this is an important development, we must continue the campaign until charges against her are dropped and she is free to travel outside Iran. With the family I will be meeting the foreign office minister this week to discuss what more the UK government can do for Ghoncheh, who is a British citizen.”

Leading article, page 20

News AP

Ghoncheh Ghavami is 26 today. She could be sent back to jail if her appeal fails

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

News

Cliff Richard may sue BBC over raid

David Brown

Sir Cliff Richard is considering suing the BBC and police for breach of privacy over the broadcaster’s live coverage of a raid on his home.

BBC journalists were given advance notice about the raid and received information from South Yorkshire police during the search of his Berkshire apartment.

Sir Cliff has denied any wrongdoing after he was accused of sexually abusing a boy during a Christian rally in 1985. The singer has not been arrested by police but was later interviewed under caution after voluntarily return-

ing from his Portuguese holiday home.

A source close to the singer said: “You can see the damage that can be caused [by the television coverage] to someone who has not even been arrested, let alone charged. It is pretty clear.”

He said “no decision had been made either way” on whether Sir Cliff would start a civil claim for compensation. He added that guidance from the Association of Chief Police Officers made clear that a suspect’s name should not be publicised unless they were charged, and that Sir Cliff was abroad when the raid occurred without warning.

Sir Cliff has had a professional relationship with the BBC since the start of

Sir Cliff’s home was filmed during a police search

his career. He appeared on Juke Box Jury in 1961 and on Top of the Pops shortly after it launched in 1964.

Another source close to the singer, who will go on a 75th birthday tour next year, said that Sir Cliff was considering a number of options after his anticipated exoneration and thought it unlikely that he would take legal action. Other

celebrities arrested and cleared in connection with historical child sexual abuse allegations have complained that police leaked their names to the media in an attempt to get potential victims to come forward.

South Yorkshire police searched Sir Cliff’s home in Sunningdale, on August 14 after a man, now in his 40s, claimed that he had been sexually assaulted at a rally in Sheffield organised by Billy Graham, the American evangelist.

Evidence sent to an investigation by the Commons home affairs select committee revealed that a month before the raid Carrie Goodwin, the force’s head of corporate communications, contacted the BBC journalist Dan Johnson asking if he would like her to “set something up with the officer in the celebrity case”.

Ms Goodwin revealed that the police were considering raiding Sir Cliff’s homes in Barbados and Portugal before giving details of the search planned in Sunningdale, allowing the BBC to arrange for a helicopter to be present.

During the raid, Ms Goodwin told Mr Johnson where the officers were positioned and confirmed that they had entered the singer’s flat.

The select committee said: “No citizen should have to watch on live television their home being raided in this way.” Keith Vaz, the committee chairman, said the broadcaster acted “perfectly properly” in its dealing with the police but the coverage had caused Sir Cliff “enormous, irreparable damage”.

The BBC said that the way it had handled the story had been endorsed by the committee.

A South Yorkshire police spokeswoman could not comment on the prospect of legal action by Sir Cliff but repeated an earlier statement that the force believed “our actions in relation to dealing with the media were within policy and well intentioned”. It accepted that the actions were “flawed” and had stopped giving “privileged briefings” to reporters in high-profile cases.

Police monitor can’t find the right recruits Sean O’Neill Crime Editor

One of the few public bodies to have its budget increased in the age of austerity is struggling to spend the extra cash.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) had its funding doubled to £73 million by the Home Office to recruit staff, to carry out more investigations and to lead the Hillsborough disaster inquiry.

However, the watchdog is finding it harder than expected to recruit people.

It is not taking on enough new cases and has a backlog of lengthy inquiries.

The problems will enrage police chiefs whose own budgets were raided to pay for new offices and extra staff.

An internal report by Lesley Longstone, the chief executive of the IPCC, states: “Our current level of underspend is a major concern and in large part reflects the fact that it has taken us longer to get people into the organisation than had been intended.”

The report also says that the aim to conduct more “high-quality investigations” is “at risk” because of the recruitment of new, inexperienced people.

Kevin Hurley, Surrey’s police and crime commissioner, said: “We’ve had swingeing cuts that have reduced the number of frontline officers and seen them replaced by what the IPCC now admits are investigators who may not be up to scratch.”

Concerns raised over UK’s energy security Experts have put the UK on a “watch list” over concerns about the security and affordability of its energy supplies, despite it scoring highly in global rankings.

The UK is one of only three countries to achieve an AAA rating in the latest World Energy Trilemma report on 129 countries. However, it is showing a downward slide in two out of three areas assessed. It is in the top ten for energy security, but not for either sustainability or affordability of supplies. It has been placed on “negative watch”, with Japan, Germany and Italy.

Overall the UK ranks behind Switzerland, Sweden and Norway.

Zimbabwe is bottom of the list.

NHS staff to walk out today over pay claim Hundreds of thousands of health workers will stage a fresh strike today in a bitter row over pay.

Members of 11 unions will walk out for four hours in protest against the decision to reject a 1 per cent pay rise for NHS staff in England. Deals have been struck in Scotland and Wales, increasing anger with Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, who is accused of erecting a “Berlin Wall of intransigence”.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “We have taken tough decisions to increase the NHS budget but we can’t afford a consolidated pay rise in addition to increments without risking 10,000 frontline jobs.”

Driver crushed trying to stop runaway lorry

The driver of a refuse lorry has died after being crushed when he tried to stop the vehicle rolling out of a car park near Edinburgh.

The 58-year-old was pinned against a wall as the lorry, owned

by Biffa, a waste services company, rolled away in South Queensferry yesterday. The vehicle mounted the pavement, hit a parked Jaguar and smashed through railings before coming to rest over Hawes Pier. The man has not been formally named.

BA investigation over unscheduled stops A British Airways plane is being checked over after its crew twice had to make unscheduled landings in three days.

On each occasion the Boeing 777 had to to touch down at Shannon in Ireland due to what BA described as technical issues.

On Friday the plane was flying from Heathrow to Boston, Massachusetts, when it put down at Shannon. After being checked over, it resumed its journey. The same aircraft left Seattle late on Saturday with 220 passengers, heading for Heathrow when it again diverted to Shannon, landing yesterday morning. The passengers were put on a replacement flight. BA said the plane diverted “as a precaution”.

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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News

England’s women win 55,000 fans, but lose . . . to Germany Alyson Rudd

In 1921 the Football Association washed its hands of the women’s game declaring that it was “quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged”.

It took the game’s governing body 50 years to welcome women back into the fold and the landmarks still keep coming. Yesterday was the first time the England women’s team had played at the new Wembley. It was also the first time a friendly international between two women’s sides had been shown live on the BBC. Most significantly of all a record number of spectators braved the rain to watch England take on Germany, the reigning European champions. The outcome was a disappointing, if predictable, 3-0 defeat for the home side, but the contest was hugely entertaining and there was enough class on show from both teams for it to be considered a fine advert for the sport.

The announcement of the attendance of 45,619 — a record for the women’s England team — was greeted with loud, self-satisfied cheers from a crowd that had braved torrential rain and engineering works on the Underground lines serving Wembley.

A total of 55,000 tickets had in fact

been sold and there was demand for more, but the FA decided the limited transport links would create a safety issue. The public are suddenly interested in the women’s game and this is in part due to the fact that England are, at long last, making progress.

They qualified at a canter for next summer’s World Cup finals winning all ten of their qualification games and scoring 52 goals. If England were to reach the final in Vancouver next July it would make household names of players such as Steph Houghton, the captain, and Fara Williams, England’s most capped player who was homeless for seven years after a family row.

Curiosity has been piqued among the general public too, because at a league level the women’s game has been thrilling of late with Liverpool Ladies winning the Super League last month on goal difference when all the smart money had been on Chelsea’s women to clinch the title.

Although England’s players have central contracts worth £20,000 per year, many of the top

JAN KRUGER / THE FA VIA GETTY IMAGES

Karen Carney, left, who has scored 14 goals for England, helped draw fans to a wet Wembley yesterday

players still hold down part-time jobs. Eniola Aluko, the Chelsea and England striker, is even able to juggle her role as a practising lawyer with her sporting commitments.

The hype was unprecedented for yesterday’s match but the result was entirely in keep-

Online

Germany proves a class above naive home side thetimes.co.uk/sport

ing with the world rankings. Germany are No 2 in the world while England are seventh. This was their 20th meeting and England have never been able to beat Germany who, one suspects,

would have scored more had they not taken a relatively relaxed approach to the fixture. Indeed, the cool — and slightly intimidating — Silvia Neid, the head coach of the German side, refused to be impressed by the record turnout a Wembley and pointed out that her team had recently played in front of about 50,000 spectators in Munich.

The afternoon belonged to her and Germany, but few leaving north London would have believed anything other than they had seen a quickly improving England side.

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News BONHAMS / BNPS

Power spat brings out old hostilities among Labour MPs Laura Pitel Political Correspondent Lindsay McIntosh Scottish Political Editor

Rocket man Elton John bought this yellow Ferrari Dino 206GT in November 1972 to celebrate the success of Crocodile Rock, then passed it on to his drummer, Nigel Olsson, as a gift six months later. Bonhams expects it to sell for £280,000

Monday November 24 2014 | the times

Ed Miliband’s claims to have united his party were under strain last night as longstanding enmities burst into the open.

Ivan Lewis, the shadow Northern Ireland secretary, publicly accused Tom Watson, an influential backbencher, of “manipulating” internal party politics.

The row started off as a spat over the contest to elect a new leader in Scotland but quickly spiralled into a wider row about power and influence.

It began when Mr Watson wrote an article for the Sunday Herald newspaper in which he warned that Jim Murphy, the favourite to take the helm in Scotland, was damaged by his involvement in the Better Together campaign for the Scottish referendum.

The MP for West Bromwich East, who is backing the left-wing MSP Neil Findlay in the contest, said that while he liked Mr Murphy’s “aggressive” style, he was tarnished by his associations with the No campaign. It had been a “huge strategic blunder” for Labour to run a joint campaign with the Tories, he added.

Mr Lewis, the MP for Bury South, posted a barbed tweet arguing that Scots should be allowed to decide the outcome of the leadership contest without interference from others. Mr Wat-

son responded by suggesting that his colleague wanted to “quietly elect your candidate whilst we all watch”.

Mr Lewis retorted: “I want party to choose leaders in an open democratic way. Your problem is this is one leadership election you can’t manipulate.” He added: “I was not prepared to let you do it again without challenging you. Some of us have remained silent for too long.”

The shadow minister refused to respond to requests by the West Midlands MP to expand on what he meant.

Mr Watson, who rose to public prominence for campaigns to expose phone hacking at The Sun and allegations of an establishment cover-up of child sex abuse, is a divisive figure in the party.

He has long had a difficult relationship with both Mr Murphy and Mr Lewis.

He worked closely with Damian McBride, Gordon Brown’s spin doctor.

In his autobiography published last year, Mr McBride admitted that he had punished Mr Lewis for attacking the prime minister by leaking allegations to the press that he had been “pestering” a female aide — a claim he denied.

Mr Watson resigned his role as Labour’s election chief during the Falkirk “vote-rigging” row last year and has become a vocal critic of Mr Miliband.

Commenting on the row, one MP said that there was growing anger among some in the party towards Mr Watson. “He always wants to be the kingmaker. The anger is that it’s not about the best interests of the party.”

Brown to quit Westminster Lindsay McIntosh Scottish Political Editor

Gordon Brown, who has already described himself as an “ex-politician”, is expected to confirm that he will stand down as an MP at next year’s general election after more than 30 years in the House of Commons.

A promise made by the former prime minister, of greater devolution for Scotland during the Scottish referendum. was credited with seeing off a threat from the Scottish National Party

Inside today

the game

Every kick, every goal from the weekend’s action Sport, pages 46-53

and saving the Union. A source close to Mr Brown, 63, who is the MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, told the Sunday Mirror that he wanted to “go out on a high after effectively salvaging the campaign to keep the UK together in September”.

Since his resignation as prime minister in 2010, Mr Brownhas focused on charity work and his role as UN special envoy for global education. He dismissed speculation that he wished to take a seat at Holyrood.

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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Brideshead revisits its plans for future ROSS PARRY

Dominic Kennedy

An aristocratic family admitted yesterday that it is rethinking the future of a stately home used in screen adaptations of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited.

The Howards, descended from the 17th-century Earl of Carlisle, were reported to be planning a change at the top at Castle Howard, where one brother has been in charge for 30 years and another is preparing to take over.

The reforms come after the family business running the mansion, an attraction bringing in more than 200,000 visitors a year, slipped into the red.

Castle Howard, known as Yorkshire’s Versailles, is a Grade I listed house whose landscape is a Grade I registered park and garden.

“Thanks to a successful television dramatisation, the majestic view across the Great Lake to the north facade has become strongly associated in many people’s minds with Evelyn Waugh’s classic novel Brideshead Revisited,” the 10,000-acre estate’s annual report says.

The Mail on Sunday reported that Simon Howard, 58, who has run the 18th century home for 30 years, and his wife Rebecca are set to leave.

His elder brother Nicholas, 62, is said to have indicated that he would like to move in with his wife Victoria Barnsley, formerly the chief executive of the publisher HarperCollins International.

Simon, who has recently recovered from throat cancer, was reported to have been asked to consider stepping down as chairman of the board that

runs Castle Howard. Staff were due to be told today. He and his wife were said to be devastated and in shock.

Castle Howard issued a statement: “After a newspaper piece today, all the family would like to say is that they are having discussions about current and future plans for Castle Howard and that these discussions are ongoing.”

Castle Howard’s board is a family affair consisting of the brothers Simon and Nicholas; George Howard, 28, son from Nicholas’s first marriage; their

Simon and Rebecca Howard are said to be about to leave Castle Howard after a 30-year tenure. Right, Simon’s older brother, Nicholas Howard, and his wife, Victoria Barnsley, may be moving in

cousin Philip Howard, 51, a son of the 12th Earl of Carlisle; and Nicholas’s wife Ms Barnsley, 60.

The annual report said most departments saw a drop in gross profit resulting in an overall operating loss. An increased wage bill and redevelopment of redundant building stock were factors.

Accumulated losses stood at £577,766. It is estimated that at least £49 million is needed to bring the estate’s many listed buildings back to economical use.

The board explained that it valued the house, land, other buildings, structures and follies at a nominal £1.

The independent auditor qualified the accounts, noting that, in its opinion, these freehold properties were worth much more and so the accounts failed in that respect to comply with the Companies Act and financial reporting standards.

Th e Howards have proved to be masterful at protecting their inheritance.

The Court of Appeal ruled in favour this year of a claim that Omai, a £9.4 million painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds, was exempt from capital gains tax because it had hung on the walls of Castle Howard, so becoming part of the furniture.

News

How best to win a date?

Confrontation

Dating is a question of who dares wins because prospective suitors stand a greater chance of success by asking in person rather than by texting, emailing or calling, research suggests.

Many people would not contemplate going out with someone because they think their suitor is incompatible or unattractive, but when confronted by their potential date they find it hard to refuse out of a fear of hurting the other person’s feelings, researchers from the University of Toronto and Yale University found.

The study published in Psychological Science asked participants to complete a dating profile before they were given three profiles that supposedly belonged to other participants.

They were asked to pick their favourite then given extra information about the potential date, including a photograph of an unattractive person, and a questionnaire that suggested the date wanted to meet them.

The study’s findings may explain why many who reluctantly agree to a date subsequently ask themselves what made them to agree in the first place.

Samantha Joel, who led the research, said: “It’s incredible that people care so much about not hurting the feelings of potential dates who they haven’t even met, if they think they’ll actually meet them. Next, I’d like to explore how much this concern might come into play when people make later, perhaps more serious relationship decisions.”

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the times | Monday November 24 2014

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comment pages of the year

It’s tricky to be a convicted rapist and a role model Mick Hume Page 18

Opinion

How the EU silences our voice in the world When it comes to trade talks, Britain often has no place at the table. Instead there’s a suave Eurocrat sitting there Matt Ridley

@mattwridley

I

n today’s speech on the European Union, previewed in this morning’s Times, Owen Paterson, the former environment secretary, will make a surprising and telling point.

It is that many of the rules handed down to British businesses and consumers by Brussels have often (and increasingly) been in turn handed down to it by higher powers.

This means, he argues, that we would have more influence outside the EU than within it. We could rejoin some top tables.

One example is the set of rules about food safety: additives, labelling, pesticide residues and so on. The food rules that Britain has to implement under the EU’s single market are now made by an organisation that sounds like either a Vatican secret society or a Linnean name for a tapeworm: Codex Alimentarius. Boringly, it’s actually a standard-setting commission, based in Rome.

Codex is a creature of the United Nations. Its rules are in theory voluntary but since the EU turns Codex’s decisions into single-market law, and since the World Trade Organisation (WTO) judges disputes

by Codex’s rules, Britain in effect is lumped with what Codex decides.

But it’s Brussels that represents us on many of the key committees, so we have little chance to influence the rules in advance.

Codex has two sister organisations,

which deal with animal and plant health. As environment secretary, Mr Paterson discovered on a visit to New Zealand just how powerless other countries perceive us to be.

There was a particular new rule about a sheep disease that the New Zealand government wanted to persuade one of these bodies to amend. It had got Australia on side, and planned to enlist Canada and America, but when asked by Mr Paterson if Britain — Europe’s leading sheep producer — could help, the New Zealanders replied: no point, you’re just part of the EU. He felt stung by the implication of that remark.

In effect, if an organisation such as Codex changes its rules about food labels, Brussels is powerless to do anything other than follow suit. This goes much deeper than just a few veterinary and food issues. In 1994 the EU adopted the world trade system that required all signatories to adopt international standards in preference to their own.

It’s no wonder Nigel Farage says we have less clout than Norway Take another example. The rules followed by the banking industry when assessing asset risk are decided not by the EU but by a committee based in Switzerland. Then there’s the Financial Stability Board, chaired

by Mark Carney and based in Paris.

It’s a creature of the G20. It is supposed to set the standards for financial regulation worldwide.

Britain’s car industry is vital to our economy. Yet the single market standards of the EU for motor manufacturing are derived from regulations produced by (take a deep

breath) the World Forum for the Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations, a subsidiary of the UN. Ask yourself: is it likely that Britain, with its disproportionate interest in fish, car manufacturing, banking and sheep, will have seen these topics aired to our best advantage by some suave suit from Malta or Lithuania acting on behalf of the entire EU? Not a chance.

There’s plenty of other supranational bodies on which we are represented separately, and don’t need to leave the EU to join. There’s Nato, and the UN climate change framework, whose chief (Christiana Figueres) says she wants to use it to achieve “centralised transformation” of the world economy if she can get a world treaty. So, to an increasing extent, the EU is just one of the spider’s webs in which we are entangled — but it’s often the only one that represents our interests.

At the weekend I looked up the latest review of the WTO’s Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement (I’m a sad case, I know, but it was raining and there was not much on the telly) and, sure enough, it lists lots of comments it has received from countries such as New Zealand, Malaysia, Japan, Switzerland, even Cuba. Not a single EU country is mentioned because of course our comments were relayed by the European Union.

In the past, “ministers had to travel to Brussels to make their case, and to keep an eye on new laws”, Mr Paterson will say in his speech, “but with the advance of globalisation we now need to be represented in Geneva, Paris, Berne, Rome and elsewhere.”

No wonder Eurosceptics (including Nigel Farage) say we have less international clout than Norway, which sits on all these committees. It

ourselves in some sunlit meadow where we could make up any rules we wanted, as Ukip likes to imply.

We would be still be just as subject to all these international standards and intrusions if we wanted to trade with other countries. And although we might get a bit more influence over rule-making in the areas that matter to us, we would still be regularly outvoted.

We are often told to fear leaving the EU because it would lead to “fax

The EU is a problem in the multilateral, supranational world

Britain may be Europe’s leading sheep producer but it lacks negotiating power

plays a big role in the Codex Alimentarius, hosting a key committee about fish. Very few of these international rule-setting bodies are based in Britain. If we left the EU, we would at least get to be like Switzerland — a place favoured

by UN agencies to base themselves.

There’s jobs in polishing the shoes and limos of UN-crats.

This is good news for those Europhiles who sound so touchingly worried that they might lose the opportunities for racking up roomservice bills while on business in Brussels. They can relax, and vote “out” in a referendum. The hotels in Switzerland are just as good.

And conversely, the supranational world is not an entirely comforting point for Eurosceptics to make. If we left the EU, we would not find

diplomacy”: learning about new laws without having had a chance to comment on them first. (The MEP Daniel Hannan has memorably expressed his puzzlement at the archaic way that Europhiles express themselves: who still uses fax?) But Brussels is also receiving such faxes.

Leave the EU and we could be sending some of the faxes to Brussels ourselves. And perhaps even hosting a few of the fax machines.

More generally, the EU is increasingly a problem in the multilateral, supranational world.

The inexorable drift towards coordinated world government is indeed happening, but the European Union is looking more like an oxbow lake, rather than the stream. Let’s get back in the main channel.

Red Box For the best in political analysis, comment and exclusive YouGov pollingg thetimes.co.uk/redbox

Today Rain and snow in Scandinavia and Germany, showers in the southwest, drier elsewhere. Max 21C (70F), min -11C (12F) Today’s temperatures forecast for noon

Noon today HIGH 1016

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Helsinki Innsbruck Istanbul Lanzarote Las Palmas Lisbon Madeira Madrid Majorca Malaga Malta Milan Moscow Munich Naples

Sweden, Norway, Finland Mostly cloudy with rain, turning to snow in the north and over higher ground. Drier in Finland.

Maximum 8C (46F), minimum -6C (21F).

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Denmark, northern Germany, western Poland, Czech Republic Cloudy with rain spreading eastwards, clearing to sunny spells and cooler temperatures later.

Maximum 11C (52F), minimum -1C (30F).

Western Russia, the Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova Dry and cold with patchy cloud and sunny spells.

Maximum 1C (34F), minimum -11C (12F).

Southern France, Iberia, the Balearics Rather cloudy with showery rain in many places, but some drier, sunny spells in the west.

Maximum 21C (70F), minimum 4C (39F).

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Italy, the Adriatic coasts, Greece Staying dry and warm with largely sunny skies.

Maximum 20C (68F), minimum 4C (39F).

Central Europe, northern France, the Alps, the Balkans, the Low Countries, southern Germany, eastern Poland, Hungary, Slovakia A mainly dry day with sunny intervals, but rather cloudy, especially across Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic and feeling chilly.

Maximum 14C (57F), minimum -3C (27F).

British Isles Most places staying dry with sunny spells, but rain spreading into Ireland later in the day.

Maximum 12C (54F), minimum -3C (27F).

Outlook Dry and cold across eastern Europe, but with rain or showers in southwestern areas.

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Forecast for noon today. Wind speed in mph.

Temperatures maximum for day, degrees C

Speak directly to one of our forecasters on 09065 77 76 75 6am to 6pm daily (calls charged at £1.50 per minute plus network extras) For more information on the services we can provide, visit our website: quest www.weatherquest.co.uk weatherq

thetimes.co.uk

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

Opinion

A desert island free from the tide of vulgarity Though the home secretary gave little away on Desert Island Discs, that in itself was revealing Melanie Phillips

@melanielatest

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o no kicking up of those kitten heels, then. From her appearance on Desert Island Discs yesterday, we learnt that the home secretary, Theresa May, had a happy childhood, was a bit of a school swot and never rebelled against the church in which she was brought up as a vicar’s daughter.

Among the discs she selected were Elgar’s Cello Concerto, a hymn and Abba’s Dancing Queen. Squashing any suspicion of a hidden message in her choice of Walk Like a Man from the Broadway musical The Jersey Boys, she said firmly that, contrary to that song, women in whatever field “should be able to do the job as themselves”. She came across as brisk, straightforward, bland — a classic English conservative of a certain age. She was also extremely guarded. It wasn’t just that she batted away the predictable questions about leadership ambitions and political disasters. Not once did she let us glimpse any emotion.

She was an only child with a mother who suffered from multiple sclerosis. As it happens, so was I. So I listened with particular interest to find out how this had affected her.

Yet she gave not a hint of her feelings. When asked about the

death of both her parents within a few months of each other, all she said was that her husband had been a tremendous support.

The presenter Kirsty Young twitted her that she might have come on the programme as a political manoeuvre to show her human side. Mrs May demurred. She was right. She proceeded not to do anything of the kind. In itself revealing, this was also disappointing. The genius of Desert Island Discs is to expose the vulnerable heart beneath the body armour. Kirsty Young is particularly good at this.

The show’s formula is simple but brilliant. Through their choice of eight discs, a book and a luxury, it allows castaways to reveal themselves unconsciously not just through their music but also what they choose to say or not to say.

Moura Lympany, the pianist, wanted eight recording of her own The results are often startling.

Yoko Ono revealed she had considered aborting her only son, Sean. The comedian Ricky Gervais was candid about his decision never to have children because “they don’t give anything back”. The pianist Moura Lympany wanted all eight recordings to be her own.

Some castaways choose music designed to convey a flattering message about themselves. Politicians, constitutionally programmed to fabricate authenticity,

With its ability to educate, inform and entertain, Desert Island Discs is arguably the one show that defines the BBC, remaining faithful like no other to its core principles and retaining its original format.

The Today programme on Radio 4, which started in 1957, has changed in format, style and content. TV’s Question Time, which started in 1979, did not originally include so much

If one programme defines the BBC, it would be this one Kirsty Young is an expert at exposing the vulnerable heart of a castaway

are usually unconvincing guests.

The show itself — invented in 1942

by Roy Plomley, who presented it for a mere 43 years — is a national institution. In its gentle, droll and panoramic way it provides a window into British culture. Plomley wrote in his original submission to the BBC that castaways would include “dance-band leaders, actors, members of the Brains Trust, film stars, writers, child prodigies, ballet dancers and all sorts of people”.

Its wide sweep of guests from all walks of public life, including many who are distinguished in their own field but are relatively unknown to the general public, has introduced listeners to whole areas of knowledge and fresh cultural worlds they are delighted to discover.

audience participation and certainly no comedian on the panel. As for The Archers, which started in 1951, its attempt to reflect politically correct reality has made its storylines as likely as a cowpat in Islington.

Yet Desert Island Discs remains unchanged. No such show today would supply the mythical island with the Bible and Shakespeare. In that way it is an island in itself, resisting the rising seas of I’m a Celebrity, Big Brother and other such cultural effluent.

Its genius is that it allows each of us to fantasise about our own eight discs and being on our own desert island, alone and thrown on our own resources. Would we master our circumstances or allow them to master us? Are we survivors or expirers?

As in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Desert Island Discs enchants us with its isle full of noises “that give delight and hurt not”, and on which we delight to dream.

David Aaronovitch Notebook

A terrifying visit from the ghost in the machine

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or a month I have been followed around by a total body arc trainer. And now I’m terrified.

The haunting began when I searched online for something energetic to go in the shed and help me to take off what I have most unwisely put on. I browsed a product or two on Amazon — may even have put one in my virtual shopping basket — and then, confronted with a steep non-virtual price-tag, backed off.

But after that I began to see exercise machines everywhere. They would pop up reproachfully in the margins of political blogs, slide across the bottom of search engines when I was trying to find something out about Ukraine, or suddenly drop down, like a spider, from the top of the page of an online magazine.

A lot of the time I would hardly be aware of the small grey image, and then — like a moment in a horror film — I’d realise that it had been

waiting all the time in the cyber shadows. I’d turn and there it would be. “You rejected me,” it would be saying, “but I will never leave you.

One day you will make me mine, or you will die.”

At first, naively, I imagined that this apparition was general; that everyone was experiencing constant body arc trainers. Perhaps November was National Treadmill Month, sponsored by the Department of Health. Jeremy Hunt had conceivably made a speech. And then the bitcoin dropped. This was my personal ghost in the machine, generated by me when I expressed that fleeting desire to Amazon.

Like in Fatal Attraction, the result of one mere flirtation was to be a lifetime of being stalked by the Fitbod X500C. And further realisations followed. That ubiquitous ad for Santander featuring Jessica Ennis-Hill? The smiling Olympian was obviously being triggered just for me by the word “exercise”!

Other people who had bought cooking equipment or cases of claret, say, were probably getting endless

Santander ads with Gordon Ramsay or Nigel Farage.

I shiver inwardly when I imagine what may be happening to people who shop at Amazon for adult products. It is one thing to be bedevilled by the pedally image of a cross-trainer, quite another to be hunted by a Rampant Rabbit.

Housemaid’s elbow

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hat might be the result of overuse of such an item? I ask because of the report in last weekend’s Times about what could be called “texter’s curvature”. It seems that the body position we adopt as we walk along consulting our mobile devices, may cause some deformation of the spine.

Within a generation or two we will be unable to look in front of us.

There are, of course, several adaptive conditions from which we already suffer.

There are tennis elbow and housemaid’s knee, though now I come to write them down I realise that I don’t know what they are. In fact if you reversed them and created housemaid’s elbow and tennis knee that would probably make more sense.

I currently endure pain from undiagnosed mouser’s claw — a swelling under the thumb (palm side) caused by years of pointing, clicking and dragging. And I also have a mild case of Tube passenger’s thigh (the result of drawing one’s legs in and holding them so that they at no point touch those of splay-legged neighbours). The result is very tense adductor muscles. Yes, just there, nurse. Oops.

Bush’s tucker trial

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his last week, to great anger from Republicans, Barack Obama did something. He issued a directive, meaning that up to four million illegal immigrants became legitimate. In exercising this power (as most of his predecessors have) he had, said one of his foes, acted like a “king”. How dare he?

But what I enjoyed about it was the sense of playground defiance that suddenly suffused the Beltway. It reminded me of 1990 when the first George Bush was in the White House. He was asked why a certain vegetable was not to be served on Air Force One. “I do not like broccoli,” the most powerful man in the word replied. “My mother made me eat it. But I’m President of the United States and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.’’

@daaronovitch

Footballers as role models? It’s enough to make you weep Mick Hume

T

he big football question of the weekend is not, apparently, “How did Arsenal manage to lose despite having about 200 shots to Manchester United’s two?”

No, the headlines suggest the big questions are: should the Sheffield United player and convicted rapist Ched Evans be allowed to kick a ball again without displaying public remorse? Should the former Cardiff manager Malky Mackay be allowed to manage again after seemingly sharing sexist, racist and homophobic remarks in private text messages?

And should Dave Whelan, the Wigan Athletic chairman, be hounded out for talking about “Chinks” and money-grubbing Jews?

These sordid stories should raise a couple more questions. Why have we become obsessed with what footballing folk say? And how have such overinflated football morality tales come to dominate the news?

The answer is because football is no longer just the national game. It has also been turned, ridiculously, into our national “role model”. That’s

Why have we become obsessed with what footballing folk say? why kicking the ball now seems less important than attempting to dribble through moral minefields.

Every other British institution, from the churches to the political parties, has been relegated to the lower divisions of public contempt.

So our leaders turn to “soccer” to show the ignorant masses the path to righteousness.

Everybody in the game now has to be closely judged on what they say off the pitch, whether to the media (Evans and Whelan), in texts (Mackay) or on social media. The former England international Rio Ferdinand was just fined £25,000 and banned for three matches, not for breaking an opponent’s leg, but for cracking a playground joke using the word “sket” (no, me neither) on Twitter. The FA tribunal said it made an example because the celebrity clown Ferdinand “is, without doubt, a role model for many young people”.

It seems the authorities believe “without doubt” that we are stupid enough to look to football for guidance. This made it inevitable that Sheffield United would be pressed to withdraw its offer for Evans to train with the team. There are examples of how it is possible to be a former felon and a professional footballer. But it is much harder to be both a convicted rapist and a “role model”.

If society seriously expects a sport filled with overgrown schoolboys to set the moral standards for us and our children, then the authorities have got far bigger problems than the Arsenal manager.

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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Opinion

Buy prints or signed copies of Times cartoons from our Print Gallery at timescartoons.co.uk

MPs drift away from us like doomed polar bears Emily Thornberry’s sniggery tweet was partly about snobbery but more about the rift between voters and politicians Libby Purves

@lib_thinks

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hen political pratfalls make us wince it is rarely the immediate gaffe that does it.

Comments agonise over Emily Thornberry’s sniggery tweet of a white van and Eng-er-land footie flags, analysing “how Labour lost the working class”. But it isn’t really class snobbery that rankles: it’s the stupidity.

The same applies in other cases.

Voters can forgive lechery, social awkwardness, even greed. But lack of everyday awareness is alarming. It is hard to feel secure, hopeful and patriotic when those who govern (or aspire to) seem to give up trying to understand the real nation, and float off in a Westminster bubble of theory, rhetoric and complicit tribalism. Oddly enough, Prince Charles probably does a better job of empathising than most MPs. Before Thornberry’s disastrous attempt to amuse her peers on Twitter, the last scandal was Brooks

Newmark failing to grasp how social media work. Voters don’t particularly mind if their MP is an old goat (look how well-loved Boris is) but it is dismaying when a supposedly clever chap blithely entrusts intimacies to the internet, rather than slapping on a false beard and heading down to Soho like any prudent voyeur. Before Newmark it was Maria Miller, huffily agreeing to repay housing expenses she should never have claimed, especially during a recession and a homes crisis. Before that it was Andrew Mitchell (whether he really said “pleb” or not) paying dearly for a habit of brusqueness with bored policemen on gate duty.

On it goes: gaffes, misspeaks and

Voters don’t mind if an MP is an old goat: look how well-loved Boris is peccadilloes stretch back in a sorry procession, from Peter Mandelson’s lack of frankness with the Britannia building society to Sir Peter Viggers’ ducks. The interesting thing is that it is hardly ever real wickedness that sinks them. More often than not, politicians trip up simply because they have lived too long under the distorting-glass bell jar of Westminster. They just don’t “get” it.

Many embraced politics in university, unions or local government, or went straight in as special advisers; others, like Ms Thornberry, became lawyers or obscurely high-flying financial fixers. Once elected, they rose because their particular brand of cleverness and address suited the rarefied air inside the bubble.

What very, very few have experienced is the grit, graft, smoky pragmatism and inevitable social diversity of running workaday businesses or organisations. They become good at theorising and keeping allies and mentors, but the more politically savvy you get, the farther you drift from the quotidian reality of non-political life. And society: talk to any business leader and you learn that practical leadership involves recruiting people radically different from yourself.

Politicians are too fond of clones and sycophants.

This ivory-towerism can also affect career civil servants enacting the decisions. Edicts flow down, too frequent and too invasive, insufficiently tuned to practical human behaviour. A classic example is the rapid expansion of academies under greedy, poorly checked sponsors. But from poll tax to PFI’s, from IT blunders to ID cards, examples abound. And it is from that same root which spring many of the

gaffes and tactlessnesses that torpedo all parties.

Part of the problem lies with selection committees. Certainly the Tories suffer terribly from bufferish timidity. One former Tory prospective candidate I know left school at 18, started a business, then another, succeeded, and sold up to start yet another part-time while adopting two Chinese babies. She balances work and family, has advised

Anyone who has ever run anything real appreciates white vans

ministers on the recent adoption reforms, knows life from both ends.

Could she get a seat to fight? No. Beaten by several men who’ve never employed anyone, negotiated social work and international adoption, or taken a real risk. Some MPs in her party, she sighs, she wouldn’t hire to run a bath. Another aspiring candidate, middle aged, was asked his ambitions: he said to be a good constituency MP. Was told he should have said “the cabinet!”

Both gave up, saying that the selection process appears to be explicitly biased against proven personnel and business skills. The businesswoman was flatly told:

“They don’t transfer.” I asked about the Thornberry nonsense, and she pointed out that anyone who’s run anything real appreciates white vans.

They carry stuff around, turn up with tools on board to mend things, enabling profit and jobs for others.

OK, she mightn’t want to spend her holidays with white van man but she can genuinely appreciate him as a vital part of the national ecosystem.

Just as he could appreciate her as a fair boss who keeps work flowing. As for Mr Newmark, anyone who’d employed modern young people would know that the traces showoffs leave on the internet are toxic, and refrain from making his own.

So I rang a failed Labour candidate, who also sold a profitable business and founded a small charity.

Is it the same there? “Worse!” he said. “They clearly despised me as a bourgeois capitalist.” He then observed that he was quite glad to fail because MPs are underpaid and the sneaky expenses system that compensates for that is “designed to turn you into a crook”.

So there you are. The political class drifts away on a melting ice-floe like a huddle of doomed polar bears, bickering over dead seal meat, encouraged by the cawing gulls of the Westminster lobby. No surprise that the glum, frozen mainland ignores their petulant roaring.

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

Leading articles Daily Universal Register

Bargaining with Tehran

The West must be ready to walk away from a treaty with Iran curbing its nuclear programme. No deal is better than a bad deal The rush of the Obama administration to clinch a nuclear deal with Iran presents an unedifying spectacle. So intense is the American president’s desire to notch up a foreign policy success that he is tempted to accept a formula allowing Iran to continue its clandestine progress towards a nuclear bomb. It is a temptation he must resist.

Failure to strike an accord today, say Mr Obama’s advisers, might increase the risk of strategic instability. Striking a bad deal would however be far worse, both reckless and dangerous. It would promote an unapologetic sponsor of terrorism into the role of a major regional power.

Mr Obama is in a hurry because of the recent realignment of politics in Washington. As long as the Democrats were in control of the Senate, it was possible to delay any further sanctions against Iran from coming to the vote. That opened up a window for prolonged negotiations with Tehran.

Following the mid-term elections, that protection is no longer on offer to the president.

As a result Iran’s negotiators have been turned into accomplices; creating the illusion of a mutually satisfying deal has become a joint purpose of the Iranian and American presidents. Mr Obama has been twisting and turning to ease President Hassan Rouhani’s problems with his hardliners.

That is weak statecraft. It is Iran rather than the US that is under real domestic pressure and the White House should be exploiting this vulnerability. The regime needs the oil price to be $140 a barrel before it can balance its budget. In fact the price is hovering at about $80 a barrel. Inflation is high; shortages are all too evident. Ordinary Iranians want to reconnect with the wider world after more than 35 years. They will support Mr Rouhani as long as he looks like fulfilling his promise of getting sanctions lifted and allowing the trading economy to return to normal.

Instead of pressing their advantage, western negotiators have been pulling their punches. The result is a narrow, technical agenda on limiting uranium enrichment, reducing the stockpile of already-enriched uranium and the number of centrifuges that the Islamic republic can retain.

At present Iran could produce enough fissile material to make one nuclear bomb within two months. The western ambition is to extend this socalled breakout time to one year, providing a chance for diplomacy or a military response. Iran’s apparent readiness to disconnect a large number of its centrifuges has encouraged the naive idea that the Rouhani team is ready to accommodate western concerns.

This agenda has become the draft accord on the negotiating table in Vienna. It should be viewed with suspicion. Even if Iran agrees to elaborate verification procedures by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the regime will stretch every clause to its own maximal advantage. Whatever treaty emerges, it will engender challenge and counter-challenge. The history of the Iranian nuclear programme has been one of concealment and deception. The military dimension of Iran’s nuclear effort, not an explicit part of the negotiations, is embedded in the civil programme.

If a treaty is indeed signed with Tehran, all sanctions relief should be tied to strictly monitored Iranian compliance. Iran should be obliged to make a full declaration of the military aspects of its nuclear project and this too should be open for verification. If a deal fails to improve western and global security or dispel justified suspicions about Iran’s strategic intent then it is not worth signing.

The time will no doubt come when Iran can again be welcomed back into the international community. As long as Iran hides rather than discloses, as long as it funds the Hezbollah militias and arms Hamas, and as long as sinister Revolutionary Guard commanders carry such political clout, it should be kept at arm’s length.

Conservative Future

There is no credible route to re-election by abandoning economic openness “The Tory party never panics,” observed the late Sir John Hoskyns, “except in a crisis.” The political fallout from the rise of Ukip bears his judgment out. Facing an incursion on its right flank, with the defection of two MPs and their return to parliament under Ukip colours, the Conservative party is entertaining ideas that make little political or electoral sense. The most fundamental is that it will win the general election next year only if it seeks to bolster its core support and abandons the modernising instincts of David Cameron.

That reasoning is in error. The Conservatives cannot hope to retain office — especially given the implosion of support for the Liberal Democrats, their coalition partners — except by appealing to the centre ground. They should stand on their record of economic achievement, while stressing that Britain’s recovery is crucially dependent on being part of a global trading economy. That message is consistent with the voice of Britain’s major employers. There is no sense whatever in picking a fight with the business lobby.

In an interview with The Times today, Owen Paterson, the former secretary of state for the

environment, gives a thoughtful but nonetheless hazardous counter-argument. While deriding Ukip’s programme, he makes clear his ire at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and business for their defence of Britain’s membership of the European Union. He maintains that Britain would have more influence in international trading bodies if it stood outside the EU. It is surprising to hear a senior Conservative talk like this. The voice of commerce is far from infallible but it is not just another interest group. Business is Britain’s wealth-creating and employmentgenerating sector. It knows that openness to trade, investment and migration is essential for a modern economy, and it is right.

A political party cannot gain a reputation for economic competence unless it understands what business looks for in its investment decisions.

Labour under Ed Miliband has shown scant awareness of the need to win the trust of business.

The party’s default position has been that it can restore Britain’s economic fortunes through controls, price freezes and tax hikes. John Cridland, the CBI’s director-general, has been notably

temperate but unmistakably dismayed in response to Labour’s critique. This is no time for the Conservatives to engage in similarly irresponsible populist economics.

The Times yields to no one in its criticism of the misconceived scheme for a European single currency, which has condemned the continent to stagnation and high unemployment. Yet the European single market of 500 million consumers is the most likely way in which Britain can rebalance its economy away from debt-fuelled consumption towards exports and investments. It is possible to have access to the single market and to be outside the EU but it is important to be aware of the costs.

Officials and industrialists would have no direct way of knowing about legislative changes that could affect British industry.

The Conservative party managed belatedly to present itself as comfortable with the complexion of modern Britain. That is an achievement that would be easy to lose by becoming a more insular party, grudging in its acceptance of modern mores and the outside world. A party of government can only be a party of the nation, not a section of it.

On the Rack

Scrabble is a trailblazer in dispute resolution and culture A Depression-era board game of small wooden tiles arranged in the form of a crossword probably seemed like a small-scale taste to its inventor, an unemployed architect called Alfred Butts. Yet under its eventual name of Scrabble, and with a corporate backer, it caught on. What was originally intended as a diversion for Butts’s family alone held its world championship in London at the weekend, with competitors from more than 120 countries. What is perhaps less widely appreciated than its popularity is Scrabble’s cultural importance. It is a linguistic trailblazer.

This will seem small comfort to readers who are

unable to escape Scrabble on a festive evening with relatives who have an encyclopedic knowledge of obscure words that score a hundred points or more. Yet Scrabble’s enthusiasts have come to a unique way of resolving procedural disagreements. Faced with an implausible but winning combination of letters such as ZO (Himalayan cattle), EUOUAE (a cry of Bacchic frenzy) or BULBUL (tropical songbird), the thwarted opponent is apt to protest that it is not a real word. And even the most reputable of dictionaries might not include such obscure but genuine offerings.

To settle arguments, the manufacturers of the

game published The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary in the 1970s, and many editions since.

It is an under-appreciated artefact of the artistic avant-garde. For whereas the great lexicographical resources in the language, the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster, record the evidence of usage and give definitions, the Scrabble dictionary gives almost no information but every conceivable combination of between two and eight letters. If it’s there, it’s eligible. In creating the most permissive dictionary in the world, the creators of Scrabble have alighted on a singular method of preserving domestic tranquillity.

UK: The Joseph Rowntree Foundation reports a big rise in the number of adults in poverty; NHS workers stage a second fourhour strike in their pay dispute; Sotheby’s holds a sale of Russian art; the Girls’ Schools Association holds its annual conference.

US: The Emmy Awards ceremony is held in New York.

Nature notes The annual invasion of waxwings from Scandinavia is beginning. These birds, about the size of a starling, get their name from a red blob like sealing-wax that they have on their wing. But this is not their most conspicuous feature, which is their jaunty, swept-back crest. They are also striking in other ways, with pinkish plumage, a black mask and bib, yellow bars next to the red blob on their wings, and a yellow-tipped tail.

They are also very tame birds, coming down to feed on cotoneaster and other berries in the bushes that adorn roundabouts and supermarket car parks. They gobble up the berries very fast. Only a few of them, mostly ones and twos, have been seen so far, and these have been in Scotland and the eastern counties of England, though some had reached Wiltshire by yesterday. In the winter of 2008-09, there was an enormous invasion of them, which reached most of the country. A survey has been conducted at supermarkets in some years to see which had the most. Morrisons has generally been the winner. It is too early to say if there will be enough waxwings this winter to make a poll worth while. derwent may

Birthdays today Arundhati Roy, pictured, human rights activist and author of The God of Small Things (1997), 53; Pete Best, original drummer for The Beatles, 73; David Blakey, HM inspector of constabulary (1999-2004), 71; Sir Ian Botham, cricket commentator, 59; Billy Connolly, actor and comedian, The Hobbit: the Battle of the Five Armies (2014), 72; Lord (Ewen) Cameron of Dillington, landowner in Somerset, 65; Dame Sally Davies, chief medical officer for England, 65; Patric Dickinson, Clarenceux king of arms, 64; Gregory Doran, artistic director of the RSC, 56; Katherine Heigl, actress, Life as We Know It (2010), 36; Stephen Merchant, comedian and cocreator of The Office (2005-13), 40; Anthony Ogogo, boxer, 26; Sean O’Loughlin, rugby league player, captain of Wigan Warriors, 32; Charles Osborne, author, The Dictionary of Opera (1983), 87; John Squire, guitarist for the Stone Roses and painter, 52; Edward Stourton, presenter of The Sunday Programme Radio 4, 57; Russell Watson, tenor, 48.

On this day In 1642 Abel Tasman discovered Van Diemen’s Land, later renamed Tasmania; in 1859 Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species; in 1954 the first US presidential aeroplane to be called Air Force One was put in service; in 1963 Lee Harvey Oswald, charged with the assassination of President John Kennedy, was shot dead by Jack Ruby in Dallas, Texas; in 2012 a fire at a clothing factory in Bangladesh killed 112 people.

The last word “A man who has not passed through the inferno of his passions has never overcome them.” Carl Jung, Erinnerungen, Träume, Gedanken (1962)

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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Letters to the Editor

1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF Email: letters@thetimes.co.uk

Female soldiers and the killer instinct

Helping the young Sir, Taking part in social action helps young people to gain confidence, experience and skills that enable them to fulfil their potential.

Helping them to participate benefits both the businesses we lead and the communities in which our customers live because it increases civic participation, strengthens engagement in education and improves their work-readiness.

Today marks the first anniversary of #iwill — a campaign launched by the Prince of Wales empowering 10 to 20-year-olds to take part in social action, from fundraising and volunteering to mentoring and campaigning. Our organisations have pledged to lead on a number of areas.

We are placing youth social action at the heart of our work experience and apprenticeship schemes.

More than 100 organisations have made #iwill pledges. We hope other businesses will join the campaign. antony jenkins, CEO, Barclays jeremy darroch, CEO, Sky sam laidlaw, CEO, Centrica john cridland, CBI, john holland-kaye, Heathrow, simon davies, Linklaters, antónio horta-osório, Lloyds Banking Group, ronan dunne, Telefonica O2, ian powell, PwC and six more signatories whose names can be seen at thetimes.co.uk/letters

To arch or not?

Sir, I do not share Matthew Parris’s enthusiasm (Opinion, Nov 19) for reerection of the austere Doric arch in front of Euston, London’s most dreary mainline station — and currently destined to be the terminus of HS2. It would be better to terminate HS2 at St Pancras, if the clutter of cafés, restaurants and shops could be cleared from the ground level. St Pancras has superior links. It would also enable trains to run direct from the provinces to the continent. I do not think John Betjeman would have disapproved but, as developed, St Pancras may be magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la gare. robert h foster Skipton, N Yorks

Sir, Richard Kemp argues that a lifting of the restriction on women serving in infantry units will damage the fighting capabilities of the armed forces (“Female soldiers just lack the killer instinct”, Nov 18). He presented a popular mythology regarding women and combat.

The move to overturn the ban on women is long overdue, particularly given the track record of service women in Iraq and Afghanistan, generously acknowledged by Kemp, as well as experiences from other nations. Airing such tired opinions highlights the similarity of this argument to unsubstantiated claims and stereotypes cited in previous objections to ending discrimination based on race and sexuality.

Diversity in all forms represents a positive force for modern militaries.

The link between the armed forces and society can only be strengthened when the armed forces better reflect the society from which they are drawn.

It is beyond time to move the debate from whether women should be permitted to serve in all sectors of the military to how this can best be achieved.

The Ministry of Defence and the single services will need to foster a positive environment in order to recruit, motivate and retain the calibre of women they desire, and I recognise the difficulty in addressing the many impediments to integrating women into combat units.

The greatest challenge, however, lies with military commanders who will need to have the courage to

Rochester result Sir, After his party was beaten in Rochester, Matthew Parris (Opinion, Nov 22) again demonstrates that he has the nasty party instincts at heart.

To effectively accuse 16,867 Ukip voters in Rochester of being identifiable with fascist blackshirts (there was even a picture of Mosley) is deeply offensive. I lost close family fighting Hitler’s fascists as did many in the Medway town’s front line. peter mason-apps Knowl Hill, Berks Sir, Labour continues to fight a class

Climate fund Sir, Unlike the five charities who support the Green Climate Fund (News, Nov 21), I would like to see the money spent on housing for the thousands of British families who can’t afford one. After all doesn’t charity begin at home, particularly when temperatures have ceased to increase for the last 15 years or so? bob bull Portishead, Bristol

Corrections and clarifications The Times is committed to abiding by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (“IPSO”) rules and regulations and the Editors’ Code of Practice that IPSO enforces.

Requests for corrections should be sent by email to feedback@thetimes.co.uk or by post to Feedback, The Times, 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF

on this day november 24, 1914

CALL FOR MEN — ONE RECRUIT AT ARSENAL On Saturday and yesterday recruiting appeals were made to gatherings of young men in London and the provinces. Saturday’s efforts were directed to the crowds at football matches, and the results were grievously disappointing.

There is apparently something about the professional football match spectator which makes a recruiting appeal a failure. At the Chelsea ground Colonel Burn was

overcome the prejudice and the bias of previous generations. vix anderton Research Fellow, Royal United Services Institute Sir, Once again the matter of female military fighters in the British armed forces is raised without even Colonel Richard Kemp facing a most unpleasant fact: is anyone in policy making authority prepared to reflect on what would, particularly and undoubtedly happen (Islamic State style) to any captured females?

Female fighters may be cleared, formally or informally, to take their personal chances, but the effect on the fighting ability and morale of male force members — who will instinctively want to defend their female comrades — will be totally destructive.

Keep the ladies well away from the battlefield, please. roger draper Ruislip, Middlesex Sir, Colonel Richard Kemp’s concern that women lack the killer instinct does not seem to apply in Vienna where you report that an ice-cream parlour proprietor shot dead two lovers as they didn’t live up to her requirements (News, Nov 18). dr john doherty Vienna Sir, I was about to launch a broadside against Richard Kemp’s rampant sexism and sweeping generalisations, but faced with compelling evidence that many war while its core supporters are more concerned about loss of national identity (leading article, Nov 22).

This has as much to do with the influence of Brussels as immigration, and Ukip has exploited this to great effect. Emily Thornberry’s tweet merely makes matters worse. bernard kingston Biddenden, Kent Sir, Why is Nigel Farage always photographed with or near a glass of beer? How about a nice cup of tea for a change? estelle d davis Leeds one of the speakers. Recruiting sergeants were present — but not a man was induced to join. At other grounds appeals were made with equal ill-success. This failure contrasts strongly with the wholesale volunteering which has distinguished the performers and devotees of other forms of sport.

Rugby Union clubs, cricket elevens, and rowing clubs throughout the kingdom have poured men into the ranks. The dismal story of Saturday’s recruiting is relieved by one man who volunteered at the Woolwich Arsenal ground.

In his speech at Stamford Bridge Colonel Burn said: “I want you to understand that I am a sportsman as well as a soldier. I believe in football. I believe in your games being carried on as usual. I have come here to ask any young man who has no encumbrances to join the forces. I don’t say come. I say, ‘Come for God’s sake. You are wanted.’ I have given my son. He enlisted at the start of the war. He is now dead. I have given my house up as shelter for the care of

young men have far too much of it, I’m relieved that at least one of the sexes supposedly lacks the killer instinct. hillary crowe Telford, Shropshire Sir, If Colonel Richard Kemp is correct and frontline combat remains overwhelmingly based on hand-to-hand combat requiring the killer instinct found only in “few women”, then how does gender relate to the skills needed to direct air strikes? I am sure there are examples to support his view but are they really the general picture? richard titchener Maldon, Essex Sir, Richard Kemp’s article is an insult to the memory of those women of the Second World War who fought in the SOE, in the Resistance and at Stalingrad. dr shirley summerskill London NW6 Sir, A potential female soldier at interview when asked if she could kill a man, replied “Eventually”. don evans Inverness, Highland Sir, For proof that some females have the killer instinct, just go to court martial records. There you will find examples of female service personnel who have been convicted of inflicting actual and grievous bodily harm (and worse) on their male colleagues. robert steel Salisbury, Wilts

Talk to us, please Sir, Jenni Russell’s article on the behaviour of Uber’s management highlights an issue closer to home — the demise of the courteous and discursive London cabby. A great many cab drivers are now plugged in to their phones and barely interrupt their conversations to listen to your destination, let alone to engage you in a stimulating debate on the state of the nation. So to all cabbies: we want you to succeed . . . but put down your phones and look after us. karen jones London SW18 wounded officers. I say to you young men that if I had 12 sons I would give them all, as well as my own life, for my country and my King.” About a third of those present were dressed in khaki. “I have no need to speak to you young men in uniform,” added Colonel Burn. “I raise my hat to you.”

Sunday’s meetings were more successful. A very large crowd gathered in Victoria Park, and throughout the morning and afternoon speeches were made, to which earnest attention was given.

In the afternoon an enormous crowd assembled and the band of the Honourable Artillery Company were given a hearty reception. It was announced that the recruiting of the morning had been fairly satisfactory, and a squad of recruits marched off to join the colours early in the afternoon. sign up for a weekly email with extracts from the times history of the war ww1.thetimes.co.uk

Faith schools Sir, While Janice Turner can hardly be blamed for fearing Wahhabis operating schools with impunity in Britain (“No more faith schools”, Nov 22), it is crass to present Laylah Hussain’s experience as a case for a moratorium on religious schools and the relegation of religious education to a tiny portion of the curriculum.

Ms Hussain can hardly be blamed for losing her faith when she was raised in such a heretical form of Islam. At a time when at least as many people are converting to Islam as leaving it, though, Turner’s promotion of suppressing public discussion of religion ought to alarm us.

She is probably right that Ukip or communist schools would not be permitted, but Michael Gove, as education secretary, stated that he was open to the idea of free schools run by atheist lobby groups. Would Turner include these in her proscribed category? james abdul rahman brierley Knighton, Leicester Sir, Janice Turner need look no further than Northern Ireland to see the long-term effect of segregation in education. The proponents of faith schools should have regard to Martin Luther King’s analysis of the reasons for racial division in America: “Men hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don’t know each other.

They don’t know each other because they can’t communicate with each other. They can’t communicate with each other because they are separated from each other.” seamus mcneill Belfast

Discretion?

Sir, If M Hollande’s “discreet” dalliance merits two pages, and a leader column too (Nov 22), it is alarming to contemplate the consequences had he been indiscreet. lindsay gh hall Theale, Berks Sir, You ask “How does Monsieur le President do it?” (Leader, Nov 22).

The same way as our very own Prince of Wales did it. peter bradshaw Liverpool

Skills, young Fink Sir, Daniel Finkelstein’s son is certainly many decades younger than me so I was puzzled by his reported use of the word “skills” to express approbation (Opinion, Nov 19). In my boyhood in the early 1940s “skill” — in the singular — did the job of the all-purpose “cool” relied on by today’s teenagers to express admiration of possessions and achievements. Was it local to my circle of friends? And what other such terms have been and gone over the years? david brancher Abergavenny, Monmouthshire

Mxyzptlk Sir, Anybody having difficulty in pronouncing “Mx” (report, Nov 17, and letters) has not spent time reading Superman. I remember these comics in the 1960s, when there was a trickster from a different dimension called “Mr Mxyzptlk”. It gets worse.

The only way to send him back to his own dimension was to trick him to say his name backwards. “Kltpzyxm”. dr nigel heard Great Barrow, Chester

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

World

Israel set to make Arabs second-class citizens Israel

Gregg Carlstrom Jerusalem

After an angry debate, the Israeli cabinet endorsed a controversial bill declaring the country a Jewish state, a move that will alienate the Palestinian minority further and push the government closer to early elections.

The bill affirms that Jewish law should inspire the Israeli legal system, and reserves other “national rights” for Jews, including the right to immigrate.

If passed by the full Knesset, it would become a “basic law,” akin to a constitutional amendment.

The cabinet session was closed to the press, but MPs could be heard shouting at each other inside. Fifteen ministers voted in favour, with six opposed, including Tzipi Livni, the justice minister.

Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, called the proposal a “necessary” step to balance Israel’s “Jewish and democratic” nature. “[Israel] has equal individual rights for every citizen, and we insist on this,” he said. “But only the Jewish people have national rights.

“There are those who would like the democratic to prevail over the Jewish and there are those who would like the Jewish to prevail over the democratic.

In the principles of the law that I will submit today both of these values are equal and both must be considered to the same degree.”

Several drafts of the bill have circulated in recent weeks, some of which proposed dramatic steps, such as stripping Arabic of its status as an official language. The version approved yesterday will not bring immediate changes, but experts say it will make it easier for the

Fadel Halawa, a Palestinian, was shot dead by Israeli forces near the Gaza border

Knesset to approve discriminatory laws, and for the high court to uphold them.

Yehuda Weinstein, the attorney-general, warned that it would cause a “deterioration of the democratic characteristic of the state”.

Yohanan Plesner, the president of the Israel Democracy Institute, said the proposal “smacks of populist politicking”. “[It] touches on raw nerves at an especially delicate moment in our nation’s history. It does not mention the principle of equality, thereby minimising Israel’s democratic essence,” he said. Mr Netanyahu is also drafting a separate bill that would strip residency status and social

benefits from Palestinians who commit attacks, as well as their families. Most of the attackers have been from east Jerusalem, who hold Israeli residency but not citizenship.

Last week Israel also escalated the controversial practice of punitive home demolitions, blowing up the home of Abdel Rahman al-Shaloudi, the Palestinian who carried out a hit-and-run attack on Israelis on October 22. The demolition left seven of his relatives homeless. Three other homes are due to be demolished this week.

Mr Netanyahu’s support for such laws is widely seen as an effort to shore

For Netanyahu, it’s all about an election

Analysis Michael Binyon

B

inyamin Netanyahu’s proposals to evict the families of Palestinians attacking Israelis and to pass a law declaring that only Jews have full national rights are a dramatic response to the growing anger over the murder of Israelis in Jerusalem. But they risk further isolating Israel internationally and bringing closer the stinging accusation — voiced but later retracted — by the Obama administration that Israel is in danger of becoming an apartheid state.

Demolishing the houses of lone Palestinian gunmen is a return to tactics last employed five years ago.

Intended to punish terrorists and families supporting them, it was abandoned as it did not prove an effective deterrent. The new law goes further, effectively imposing collective responsibility on Palestinian families in Jerusalem and exiling whole families if any member is involved in terrorism. This runs counter to United Nations’ principles.

Only this way, Mr Netanyahu’s advisers suggest, can “self-starter” terrorists, not acting in the name of Hamas or other political grouping, be deterred. Few, it is presumed, will risk losing their precarious status as Jerusalem residents.

But the measure may

prove counter-productive.

It will give ammunition to critics arguing that Mr Netanyahu is trying to accelerate the exodus of Palestinians from Jerusalem. It will certainly prove awkward for the US administration to defend in the UN. Depriving Israelis who do not categorise themselves as Jews of “national rights” is even more controversial, within Israel and overseas. It effectively makes all non-Jews second-class citizens — some 20 per cent of the Israeli population. The measure is partly a response to the fears that a higher Palestinian birth-rate will one day make non-Jews a majority in Israel. But it

also provides a basis for other discriminatory measures in response to further violence by Palestinians.

The Israeli left is deeply critical of any legal distinction between the rights of Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs. Even rightwingers have said proposals to ban Arabs from buses pave the way to South African-style apartheid.

But Mr Netanyahu is not worried by criticism from the left or embarrassment in Washington. In the runup to an election he is determined to blunt accusations from the right that he is not doing enough to protect Israelis from Palestinian violence.

up his right flank before early elections.

A budget crisis has already brought his unwieldy coalition of centre-left and far-right parties to the brink of collapse, and a rash of deadly attacks over the past month has piled more pressure on the government.

Mr Lapid, who heads the centrist Yesh Atid party, called it “a bad law, which is badly worded”. After voting against the bill, his faction held an emergency meeting to discuss further steps.

Eleven Israelis have been killed in shootings, stabbings and hit-and-run attacks, including five people murdered at a Jerusalem synagogue last Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli forces shot dead Fadel Halawa, 32, a Palestinian, in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday.

Political analysts say Mr Netanyahu wants to push out Yair Lapid, the centre-left finance minister who is increasingly critical of his policies. Mr Lapid said that the bill declaring Israel a Jewish state would alienate Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up about 20 per cent of the population.

They enjoy equal rights under the law, but in practice have long been subject to discrimination.

Last week the mayor of Ashkelon tried to ban Palestinian construction workers from schools, a move met with derision. “This morning I spoke with the family of Zidan Saif,” Mr Lapid said, referring to a police officer from the Druze sect who was killed in a shootout with the synagogue attackers. “What can we say to this family? That he is a second-class citizen?”

Mr Netanyahu has published his own wording for the proposed law, listing 14 principles that include declaring that “the State of Israel is democratic and founded on the principles of liberty, justice and peace in accordance with the visions of the Prophets of Israel”.

The draft, which was released to the media, pledges to “uphold the individual rights of all of Israel’s citizens”, but also says that only the Jewish people have a right of self-determination in Israel.

The phrasing appears to rule out any bi-national state with the Palestinians, but makes no reference to the independent country they seek in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem in a stalled peace process brokered by the US. “A flag, anthem, the right of every Jew to immigrate to the country, and other national symbols. These are granted only to our people, in its one and only state,” Mr Netanyahu said in public remarks at the cabinet meeting.

The citizenship bill goes to the Knesset on Wednesday. Arabs make up about 20 per cent of Israel’s population and strongly oppose it.

The recent unrest has centred on Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site, a hilltop compound revered by Jews and Muslims. Muslims fear that Israel is plotting to take over the site, a charge that Israel denies. They are also upset about Israeli restrictions that have limited access for Muslim worshippers on security grounds.

Steep freeze Tim Emmett, left, from

Sixteenth United States

Rhys Blakely Los Angeles

Pressure was building on Bill Cosby to break his silence last night, after a 16th woman came forward accusing the comedian of drugging and raping her.

Victoria Valentino, a former Playboy model who is now 71, alleges that Cosby, now 77, befriended her in 1970. After taking her and a female friend to dinner in Los Angeles she says he offered her a red pill.

“He was trying to cheer me up, and he stuck a pill in my mouth,” she told The Washington Post. “He said, ‘This will make us all feel better’ . . . We were slurring words. I couldn’t function.”

She alleges that Cosby drove them to an apartment in the Hollywood Hills.

Her friend passed out while Ms Valentino said she felt as if the room was spinning. “He came over to me . . . and opened his fly,” she said, and forced

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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Violence mars Bahrain poll Page 26

Baby survives after being dumped down an 8ft drain Page 29

WIKTOR SKUPINSKI / BARCROFT MEDIA

Get ready for Tripoli battle, says Libya PM Libya

Bel Trew Bayda

London, and Klemen Premrl, a Slovenian, climb the 450ft wall of the Helmcken Falls in Canada, where ice on the underside of a cave is formed by the waterfall spray

woman claims she was assaulted by Bill Cosby himself on her. “It was like a waking nightmare.”

Her allegations follow an established pattern: a dozen of his accusers have alleged that Cosby, a performer known as “America’s Dad” for his portrayal of the character Cliff Huxtable in The Cosby Show, drugged them before abusing them between 1967 and 2005.

Cosby has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has never faced a criminal charge. In a brief statement at the weekend, he said: “I know people are tired of me not saying anything, but a guy doesn’t have to answer to innuendos.”

On Friday, he received a standing ovation after a stand-up comedy show in Florida.

Another woman, Joyce Emmons, came forward over the weekend, to describe an alleged incident from the late 1970s. She claims that Cosby gave her a pill, and that she later passed out.

She told TMZ, the celebrity gossip website, that when she regained consciousness she was naked in bed in Cosby’s Las Vegas hotel suite with one of the comedian’s friends.

America has looked on aghast in recent days as one of its most beloved television stars has been accused of being a serial rapist. “The transformation of Mr Cosby’s image has produced the discomfort and struggle akin to coming to terms with the dark past of a family member,” said The New York Times.

A planned teleVictoria Valentino alleges that she was raped in 1970

vision comeback by the comedian is now in tatters. A new sitcom was scrapped by the broadcaster NBC, while a documentary to celebrate Cosby’s 77th birthday was postponed by Netflix, the streaming service.

Martin Singer, a lawyer for Cosby, released a statement on Friday. “The new, never-before-heard claims from women who have come forward in the past two weeks with unsubstantiated, fantastical stories about things they say occurred 30, 40, or even 50 years ago have escalated far past the point of absurdity,” he

said. “These brand new claims about alleged decades-old events are becoming increasingly ridiculous, and it is completely illogical that so many people would have said nothing, done nothing, and made no reports to law enforcement or asserted civil claims if they thought they had been assaulted over a span of so many years.”

Cosby’s silence has been commented upon in the US media. On November 13 he remained mute when asked about allegations of sexual assault during a radio interview.

During a television interview he also refused to comment, later requesting that footage that showed him being asked for his reaction to the allegations never be aired. “If you want to consider yourself to be serious, then it will not appear anywhere,” he told the journalist from the AP news agency who conducted the interview. “I would appreciate it if it was scuttled.”

Troops loyal to Libya’s internationally recognised government have encircled the capital Tripoli and are poised to “liberate” it from the Islamists, the prime minister claimed yesterday.

“The army units are preparing to move on the capital and liberate it from the criminal gangsters who call themselves Libya Dawn and have occupied the city by force,” Abdullah al-Thinni said from his headquarters in Bayda, some 745 miles (1,200km) east of Tripoli.

Libya has plunged back into civil war just three years after the toppling of Colonel Gaddafi, as rebels who participated in the uprising have carved up the country. Without a functioning police force or army, the country is on the verge of anarchy.

Mr al-Thinni said that he has command of some 135,000 soldiers, originally part of the Libyan national army that defected during the 2011 Natobacked revolt against Gaddafi.

Libya Dawn, a coalition of Islamistbacked forces mostly from the western city of Misrata, formed a rival government and parliament after they seized the capital in the summer. They are allied with a range of armed groups of former rebels, including Ansar alSharia, which has been designated a terrorist organisation.

Mr al-Thinni, 60, said that his air force had struck positions around the capital and more fighter jets were on their way while ground troops were on standby for the “final battle of Tripoli”.

It marks the first time that his administration has declared war in the west.

Libya Dawn sources confirmed that some of their weapons depots were hit over the weekend.

Although Mr al-Thinni’s government is recognised abroad as the sole representative of Libya, its legitimacy at home is in doubt. This month the Libyan Supreme Court ruled that the recently elected parliament, which appointed the government, was unconstitutional on a technicality.

Since that ruling, international bodies including the UN and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have rejected the Libya Dawn government but have also shied away from publicly clarifying their position on Mr al-Thinni’s administration.

The Libyan central bank and national oil company, two state bodies managing the country’s oil revenues, have refused to channel funds to either administration and are paying only basic government salaries.

Mr al-Thinni said that he had replaced the head of both institutions and was setting up new headquarters in the east: a move that could lead to the country becoming two states. He claimed that in the next few weeks his troops will also recapture southern oilfields as well as the eastern city of Benghazi.

Members of the elected parliament, based in Tobruk about 185 miles from Bayda, confirmed that they had already drawn up a £28 billion budget that earmarked funds for emergency aid to the displaced and for building up the army.

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

World

Russian rebel leader claims he started Ukraine war Ukraine

Lily Hyde Donetsk

A former Russian military intelligence officer described by separatists as their “god of war” has given the most detailed account yet of the start of the conflict in east Ukraine — and taken the credit for himself.

“I pulled the trigger of the war. If our unit hadn’t crossed the border, everything would have ended like in Kharkiv or Odessa,” Igor Girkin told the Russian newspaper Zavtra. “A few dozen people killed, burnt, arrested, and it would all have ended there.”

Clashes this spring in the southeast

Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Odessa claimed more than 40 lives, but did not spark a separatist uprising.

In east Ukraine’s Donbass region, the seven-month war between separatist “people’s republics” and the Ukrainian army has killed more than 4,000 people, according to the UN, and driven more than a million from their homes.

Igor Girkin led a ‘volunteer’ unit

Mr Girkin, whose nom-de-guerre “Strelkov” means marksman, emerged in Crimea this spring as an “adviser” to Sergei Aksyonov, the politician who seized control with the help of unbadged Russian troops and led a referendum for the peninsula to become part of Russia. President Putin at first denied that the troops were Russian, but later confessed to their presence.

In April, Mr Girkin seized the east Ukraine town of Slovyansk and imposed martial law, executing looters, before fleeing with his rebel militia to Donetsk as the Ukrainian

army advanced. In August, he returned home with other Russians in the rebel leadership, to be replaced with locals.

He said Donbass was meant to repeat the “Crimean scenario”. “I planned to help local leaders and militants set up a people’s government, that would then hold a referendum to join Russia,” he told another Russian paper, Svobodnaya Pressa (Free Press).

Mr Girkin said he commanded special operations divisions in Crimea, co-ordinated with the Russian army, until Mr Aksyonov asked him to take on “Novorossiya”, the imperial-era name for southeast Ukraine. He led a unit of 52 “volunteers”, mostly Crime-

ans and “20 per cent” Russians, and set off for Donbass. However, because no local leaders came forward and initially only 150-200 locals supported him in Slovyansk, he started a war himself.

Mr Girkin stopped short of saying he was ordered to act by Russia, which denies supporting the east Ukraine rebels with troops or weapons.

Slovyansk residents initially mistook his unit for “little green men” because of their uniforms and high-tech arms. “Of course, we bought those ourselves,” he told Svobodnaya Pressa.

One injured fighter from Slovyansk, who gave his name as “Psycho”, said of Mr Girkin: “He’s our god of war.”

Fashion press falls foul of Putin The foreign owners of glossy Russian magazines may have to sell their stakes or risk falling foul of a law introduced by Vladimir Putin aimed at preventing overseas media organisations spreading anti-Kremlin propaganda (Nick Holdsworth writes).

They include Condé Nast, which publishes Russian-language titles that include Vogue, Tatler and Glamour. Another unlikely candidate is the winter issue of Architectural Digest, which is American-

owned. A total of 15 companies, including News Corporation, the parent company of The Times, and Pearson, which owns the Financial Times, are affected and will be allowed to hold only a 20 per cent stake in Russian publications when the law takes effect in 2016. Commentators say that the rule is a politically motivated move to increase the Kremlin’s control over the media as the information war with the West over the Ukrainian crisis heats up.

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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ZUMA PRESS/ALAMY

Families beg museum to take Nazis’ looted art Switzerland

Adam Sage Paris

Brothers in alms Ten thousand Buddhist monks held an event outside a Bangkok mall to support temples in southern Thailand, which is racked by insurgency and where monks distributing aid have been attacked by Muslim extremists

Cathedral bans mafia chief’s son A teenager whose father, a mafia boss, is serving life for ordering the murder of a priest, has been banned from receiving confirmation at Palermo cathedral in Sicily (Tom Kington writes).

In a decision that has divided the Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Paolo Romeo refused to celebrate the confirmation on Saturday of the 17-year-old son of Giuseppe Graviano, a Cosa Nostra godfather.

In 1993, Graviano ordered the murder of Giuseppe Puglisi, a priest who took on the mafia.

Father Puglisi is buried in Palermo cathedral. On

Saturday, Graviano’s son was one of 50 schoolboys due to receive confirmation at the church, but discovered his name had been struck from the list. “We have never seen clear signs of remorse from these people who were responsible for [Puglisi’s] death,” said Cardinal Romeo, explaining his decision.

Father Michele Stabile, the head of the Church commission which lobbied for the beatification of Puglisi, said Graviano’s son was free to receive confirmation in another church.

Some said Graviano’s son should not be punished for his father’s sins.

Jewish families whose art was stolen by the Nazis are urging a museum to help them to get it back by accepting a collection that contains looted paintings.

The families believe they stand a good chance of regaining the lost works if the Kunst Museum in Bern agrees to take the collection bequeathed by Cornelius Gurlitt, the son of an art dealer who worked for the Nazis.

If museum directors refuse, the works will end up in the hands of Gurlitt’s family, threatening long and uncertain procedures in German courts.

The museum has indicated that if it chooses to accept the bequest, it will return the looted art as soon as possible.

Today, the museum is expected to announce its decision on the 1,280 paintings and drawings by the likes of Monet, Matisse and Renoir.

One — Matisse’s Woman Sitting in Armchair — has been shown to have been taken by the Nazis from the collection of Paul Rosenberg, the French art dealer, who was Jewish.

His descendants, Anne Sinclair, a French journalist and former wife of

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, and Elaine Rosenberg, her aunt, who lives in New York, have demanded its return.

“It’s extremely important because it represents their family history and a reconnection with the past and because it was forcibly taken from them by the most brutal regime of the past millennium,” said Christopher Marinello, the director of Art Recovery International.

Another work — Two Riders on the Beach by Max Liebermann — belongs to David Toren, 89, the descendant of David Friedmann, an industrialist.

Mr Toren and the Rosenbergs want the Kunst Museum to accept the works.

The museum’s decision comes more than two years after German investigators discovered the collection when they raided Mr Gurlitt’s flat in Munich during a tax investigation.

He had inherited the art from Hildebrand Gurlitt, his father, who had been involved in creating a collection for Hitler’s planned Führermuseum and who had kept for himself examples of so-called degenerate art.

When Mr Gurlitt died in May, he left the collection to the Kunst Museum even though he had never apparently had any contact with it.

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

World

Bahrain rocked by violence as election turns to chaos Bahrain

Hugh Tomlinson Dubai

Violent clashes and a boycott by opposition parties marred elections in Bahrain at the weekend, the first held in the gulf kingdom since protests at the height of the Arab Spring.

Nearly four years on from the 2011

uprising that rocked Bahrain and prompted a crackdown in which dozens were killed, the parliamentary vote on Saturday underscored the sectarian rift that still divides this western ally.

While Downing Street has thrown its weight behind the ruling family, meeting persistent allegations of human rights abuses with only mild criticism,

the kingdom’s lack of reform is an embarrassment to the UK. Britain has been quick to defend Bahrain despite the fact that it imprisoned doctors who treated protesters for bullet wounds sustained during demonstrations. The West relies on the kingdom for hosting the US navy’s Fifth fleet. The UK is also bidding to sell Typhoon fighter jets to

the kingdom and has held talks about a £100 million expansion to the Royal Navy’s facilities in Manama.

Bahrain’s mainly Shia opposition dismissed the election as a “farce”, boycotting the poll in protest at the Sunni royal family’s failure to implement political reform after the 2011 crisis. The walkout wrecked any chance that the vote could ease the political deadlock.

Dozens were killed and thousands more thrown in jail when the government sent in troops to crush the Shialed uprising in 2011. Hundreds of people, including opposition leaders, are still behind bars. Efforts at dialogue between the sides have collapsed.

With votes still being counted yesterday, the two sides accused each other of fraud and malpractice. Opposition groups accused the ruling dynasty of rigging the turnout.

Bahrain’s Shia community is a majority in the tiny island kingdom but the electoral commission placed the official turnout at 51.5 per cent yesterday.

Opposition parties claimed that the true figure was closer to 30 per cent amid signs that many Shia voters stayed away. Al-Wefaq, the largest party in the opposition bloc, derided the government’s claims as “amusing, ridiculous and hardly credible”.

In loyalist areas, the government laid on free transport to get out the vote and opposition groups scorned a competition to win an iPhone linked to the ballot. Government officials countered that candidates in Shia areas had been threatened and voters intimidated into staying away. In Shia villages west of the capital, Manama, youths throwing stones clashed with police who responded with tear gas.

“This election has no legitimacy and no one has faith in it,” said Nabeel Rajab, a human rights activist recently released after two years in jail. “After more than three years, the government still has no solution for Bahrain’s deep political and human rights problems.”

Police in Manama used tear gas to

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT Amid the political chaos, choking traffic and stop-start power supply, Beirut is having fun that not even Isis could stop Catherine Philp BEIRUT

T

here’s a sign on the window of a boutique on the traffic-clogged street in Beirut on which I live.

“Here we go again,” it reads. “Until a new president is elected, up to ? per cent off.”

It’s been here the whole four

months that I have, the only thing changing is the size of the discount, until its current question mark. “It started at 50 per cent,” the owner explains. “But God knows how long this is going to go on. So now I just decide on the day.”

It’s been five months since there was last an occupant in the presidential palace in the hills above Beirut, part of a wider crisis fuelled by the war in Syria and the regional and sectarian rivalries it has unleashed.

Earlier this month, parliament voted to extend its mandate for three more years, the second time in 18 months it has put off a nationwide election, citing security fears. Barring a small protest in

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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SAYED BAQER ALKAMEL / DEMOTIX

Tunisians seek peace at the polls Tunisia

Catherine Philp Middle East Correspondent

Tunisians flocked to the polls yesterday to choose their first elected president, in the hope of completing peacefully the transition that began with a grassroots revolution sparking uprisings across the Middle East.

Mehdi Jomaa, Tunisia’s prime minister, hailed the poll as a “big hope for the region”, echoing his country’s pride in having navigated the difficult path towards democracy without descending into the kind of violence, lawlessness and extremism that have plagued other countries that over-

disperse protesters who boycotted the election, which they say is a farce

front of parliament, most Lebanese paid little notice. Lebanon has been hailed as a beacon of democracy in the Middle East, but it is a dysfunctional one and its selfsufficient people expect little from their elected officials.

When the electricity fails, neighbourhood generators crank into gear. Boys scramble on to roofs to hoist up hoses that fill water tanks left dry by the city’s supply.

An iPhone app, designed by a young Beiruti, delivers a 10-minute warning that the city’s power is about to fail. A text message summons the water truck.

Not all the fallout from the war next door can be managed so creatively. In Martyrs’ Square, relatives of soldiers and policemen kidnapped by Islamic State camp under canvas to protest against the government’s inaction over their loved ones’ fate. Two of the hostages have been beheaded.

Syrian refugee children clutching shoeshine kits trawl for business along the most fashionable streets, reminding shoppers of the growing burden of Lebanon’s Syrian refugees, now one in four people on its territory. Perhaps what is most remarkable is not Lebanon’s deadlock but the fact that it is still

standing at all. The lines that divide Lebanon and help to create the deadlock — Sunni, Shia, Christian, Druze — are the same that give it its variety, the source of its charm.

Lebanon, the last vestige of a cosmopolitan, pluralistic Levant, may yet be the best bulwark that the region has against extremism.

At a club off Hamra Street, fans cheer as The Great Departed band play their most popular number, which mocks Isis’s self-appointed caliph for his religious excesses.

News of Isis’s acts of barbarism are always sobering. The whispered word “Daish,” the Arabic acronym for Isis, is overheard in streets.

Then there is the dark humour.

At Charlie’s, a bar on Rue Gouraud, customers joke that this thoroughfare of hedonism would be the first in the extremists’ sights.

But Daish could never overrun it, their tanks would get stuck in its traffic. And they’d never figure out who they were meant to overthrow so would give up and go home.

Bullet holes still pock the buildings around Charlie’s.

Memories of Lebanon’s civil war are fresh. Once a byword for urban warfare, pleasure-seeking Beirut has rebounded. It doesn’t want to go back.

turned regimes in the Arab Spring. “We were the first to enter into this cycle of change which they have called the Arab Spring,” he said. “We will be the first but others will follow.”

Yesterday’s voters faced a ballot sheet of almost two dozen contenders. Beji Caid Essebsi, 87, is the leader of the antiIslamist Nidaa Tounes party, which won parliamentary polls last month.

Moncef Marzouki, the departing president, is a secular human rights activist.

Whoever wins will face the daunting task of fixing Tunisia’s faltering economy and tackling rampant unemployment, both key drivers of the revolution that began with the self-immolation of a street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi,

after authorities confiscated his goods.

Despite those problems, Tunisia has won international plaudits for its mostly peaceful transition in contrast to the countries where its revolution spread.

Much of Tunisia’s success can be put down to the willingness of secular and Islamist parties to co-operate with one another after initial fears that the Islamists were bent on imposing their will on the rest of the country.

Tunisian voters spoke with pride as they went to cast their ballots. Mouna Jeballi, a voter in Tunis, told Reuters: “Now we are the only country in the Arab world who does not know who their president will be until after the vote is finished.”

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

World

US to fight on against Taliban Afghanistan

Robin Pagnamenta Mumbai

US forces in Afghanistan have been given new powers to target Taliban militants beyond 2015, bolstering their role after the formal end of their combat mission next month.

President Obama approved plans to give US commanders the ability to carry out combat operations and provide air cover for Afghan troops in the country, where US forces are being trimmed to 9,800.

The new powers represent a reversal from the previous plan, which would have restricted the role of US

forces in the country to training Afghan soldiers and fighting what remains of al-Qaeda.

Under the new arrangements, US troops will have free rein to fight the Taliban if militants “directly threaten the US and coalition forces” or provide “direct support to al-Qaeda”.

The decision follows a separate security agreement, signed in September by Afghanistan’s new government led by President Ghani, permitting US forces to remain in the country after this year.

Under a previous agreement, the plan had been to withdraw all US troops except for a force of 1,800 by

DALIA KVEDARAITE AND GIEDRIUS STAKAUSKAS

the end of 2016. Mr Ghani replaced Hamid Karzai, who refused to sign the pact because it included a clause granting immunity from prosecution for US forces. The deal has also come after Afghan forces suffered heavy losses against Taliban militants this summer, losing about 4,600 men so far this year.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said the decision would make no difference to its strategy.

“They will continue their killings, night raids and dishonour to the people of Afghanistan in 2015. It will only make us continue our jihad,” he said.

Bear hug It’s playtime for these three-month-old cubs at a nature reserve in Finland

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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World

Baby dumped down 8ft drain survives Australia

Bernard Lagan Sydney

A newborn baby boy dumped and left for dead at the bottom of a drain beside a busy Sydney motorway has survived after passing cyclists heard him screaming.

The baby, below, may have been at the bottom of the 8ft deep drain for at least a day and a night after he was pushed through a gap in the drain’s heavy concrete cover and left to fall to the bottom.

Police and hospital staff believed the badly dehydrated and malnourished boy would not have survived Sunday’s 43 degree heatwave in Sydney if David Otte and his 18year-old daughter, Hayley, cycling by, had not stopped to investigate cries they thought were those of a kitten.

Last night police had located and were questioning the baby’s 30-year-old mother who could face a charge of attempted murder. Police used medical records to find her.

It took six men, including three police officers, to lift the 200kg cover off the drain and rescue the baby, who was wrapped in a hospital blanket.

“We actually thought it was a kitten at first,” said Mr Otte, describing the moment he and his daughter heard the

child’s cries at 7am yesterday — well before peak temperatures built up.

“But when we went down there we could tell exactly what it was, you could definitely tell it was a baby screaming.

We couldn’t see but we could hear him.

He was very distressed.”

Mr Otte contacted police, who rushed to the scene. Senior Constable Mark McAlister, who helped to lift the cover from the drain and climbed down to rescue the child, said later: “How could someone do it? I myself have kids and we’re expecting a baby in a few more months. It’s not good that someone’s going through this and has done this to a little one.”

Police Inspector David Lagats said it was unlikely that the baby would have survived yesterday’s high temperatures in Sydney if he had not been found early yesterday. “He was already malnourished, and dehydration would have taken effect so I would have had grave fears for this child’s welfare if he had been exposed to this weather for the rest of the day,” he said.

Mr Otte, his wife and daughter took new baby clothes to the hospital caring for the boy but were unable to see him.

Mrs Otte said: “We have family, we have each other. He really doesn’t have anything.”

DARRIN ZAMMIT LUPI / REUTERS

Soul survivor Beijing Modern Dance performs Midnight Rain, which illustrates the cycle of Buddhist rebirth, in Malta

Chilly ending for 100-year wait to see the sea United States

Rhys Blakely Los Angeles

Ruby Holt had heard about the ocean.

Growing up on a cotton farm in the land-locked state of Tennessee, she had thought to herself that it must be nice to walk on the sand, to hear the crash of waves, to smell the salt air — but at 100 years old, she had never been to the seaside. Just a few days before her 101st birthday, however, that changed.

Mrs Holt spent her life picking cot-

ton, doing factory work and raising four children. Over the summer, two carers at the home where she lives learnt that she had never seen the sea, and contacted Wish of a Lifetime, an organisation that helps to fulfil the long-held ambitions of elderly people, to apply for money to make a trip.

And so, in the chill of a November morning, Mrs Holt giggled as she dipped her toes into the Gulf of Mexico at Orange Beach, Alabama.

“It’s cold,” she said, adding that she

had never seen anything as big as the ocean. “I’ve heard people talk about it and how wonderful it was and wanted to see it, but I never had the opportunity.”

The journey was the furthest she had ventured from her native Giles County, about 400 miles north of the seaside.

The carers who travelled with her described finding her in her hotel room, staring at the water. “We don’t have nothing like this in Giles County,” Mrs Holt said.

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

Nomads are walking away

Business

Bank poised to break AIM link Page 33

RBS sued over Libor scandal

Property developer makes £30m claim Page 37

CHRIS RADBURN / PA

Black is the new colour of money business commentary Andrew Clark

C

hristmas comes earlier every year. Or does it? A firm consensus has taken hold among shops that the festive season starts on so-called Black Friday, the last weekend in November. But just how commercially useful is this imported American shopping fiesta?

There will be discounts galore this Friday, largely on electrical goods, ostensibly to mark most consumers’ last payday before Christmas. A Barclays survey found that 65 per cent of high street brands will be running Black Friday promotions.

For night owls, Sainsbury’s is slashing prices at 1am sharp online and in its 24-hour supermarkets.

Asda is promising dozens of cheap gadgets and even staid old John Lewis is joining the party with 100 special deals. Clothes chains will use the day to offload excess stocks of overcoats, sweaters and scarves after an unusually warm autumn.

Steadier business heads, though, caution that this price-cutting binge mustn’t go on for more than a day or two: the four weeks running into Christmas are the most lucrative of the year and it will be bad news for revenue, profits and jobs if shops get trapped into a price war at the height of the selling season.

An artificial addition to the calendar, Black Friday originated as the date on which US shops typically moved out of the red and into profit for the year. Our connected world has turned it into a gimmicky international marketing festival that shops ignore at their peril.

CMA, heal thyself

I

t was always asking a lot for the Competition and Markets Authority to diagnose and treat the multiple flaws in Britain’s complex private healthcare industry.

The anti-monopoly regulator has duly botched its keyhole surgery.

The £4.4 billion market for treating private patients in Britain is dysfunctional: it comprises four parties — patients, insurers, doctors and hospital operators — with conflicting interests, each accusing the others of rip-off charges and restrictive practices.

In many towns, patients who opt out of the NHS have only one or two hospitals to choose from. Compelling early findings from the competition regulator found that five providers — BMI, Spire, HCA, Ramsay and Nuffield — have carved the nation up into cosy little local monopolies.

Efforts to address this have failed.

Early recommendations that as many as 20 hospitals should be sold have been scrapped. Even HCA, which runs seven London hospitals accounting for 55 per cent of the capital’s overnight beds, has been let off the hook with a decision to rescind an order forcing it to offload the London Bridge and Princess Grace hospitals. Embarrassingly,

this U-turn wasn’t forced by a judge or an arbitrator. It happened because the regulator realised that it had botched its own sums. This hardly inspires confidence as the CMA goes into politically crucial battles with energy companies and high street banks.

Slow progress

W

hen Ken Olisa was growing up in Nottingham, he recalls the local bus company appointing its first Caribbean conductor. It made the front page of the city’s evening paper — amazement abounded that a Caribbean man was sufficiently talented to punch tickets.

Attitudes, thankfully, have advanced since the 1950s. Mr Olisa, founder of Restoration Partners, has become one of the City’s most prominent black financiers but he remains in a woefully underrepresented minority.

Vince Cable and Chuka Umunna have made it a priority to broaden ethnic diversity in the boardroom.

Although 14 per cent of the population is non-white, the figure is only 6 per cent for top managers at British businesses.

Encouraging progress has been made on the gender front since the government told FTSE 350 companies that a quarter of their directors should be women by next year. Talk has turned to building on this by setting a 20 per cent target for ethnic minorities.

Yet another target will go down like a bucket of cold sick in boardrooms, which dislike being lectured on recruitment almost as much as they loathe edicts on executive pay. But as one speaker pointed out at an Institute of Directors summit on ethnicity, FTSE 100 companies generate 77 per cent of their sales abroad. If we continue to look as if we’re stuck in the 1950s, emerging markets won’t take us seriously and won’t buy from us.

Striking gold

C

hristmas is a simple equation at Boodles, the purveyor of fine jewellery on Bond Street.

Whether the festive season is prosperous or austere will largely be down to two African individuals.

Michael Wainwright, managing director, tells me that he hopes to sell £4 million of jewellery in the run-up to Christmas. A “normal” purchase at the shop is in the range of £20,000 to £25,000, but some items cost more than £1 million.

“If we sell a few million-pound items, it makes Christmas,” Mr Wainwright says. “We’ve got two very important customers from Angola.

If they turn up, we’ll have a good Christmas. If they don’t, we won’t.” andrew.clark@thetimes.co.uk

Red carpet Stuart Gibson, sales manager of KJ Curson Growers, inspects a poinsettia. The company’s nursery in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, will produce more than 200,000 of the plants for garden centres this Christmas Digital spending, page 36

Aviva’s bid for rival threatens 2,000 jobs Gary Parkinson

An estimated 2,000 insurance jobs are likely to be axed as Aviva tries to placate scepticism about its bid for Friends Life.

While some analysts hailed the £5.6 billion deal announced on Friday evening as giving Aviva scope to push up its dividend, others were unimpressed, with one questioning whether it was much more than “a rights issue in disguise”.

Substantial and credible cost savings would be key to convincing investors to back Aviva’s “doubling up” of a bet on the British market, and that would mean heavy job losses, they said.

Barrie Cornes, Panmure Gordon’s insurance analyst, said that estimated savings from the deal, which will create Britain’s largest insurer by customer numbers, would be in the order of £100 million.

“Some of those savings will come from things like IT, but it’s a people business, so the vast majority of it will be from losing roles,” he added.

Friends employs about 3,500 workers, largely in London, Bristol and Salisbury. Aviva employs 28,000 around the world, about 12,000 of them in Britain

at York, Norwich, Perth and Glasgow.

They have gone no further than saying that the tie-up would yield “substantial synergies”.

Eamonn Flanagan, insurance analyst at Shore Capital, said: “Clearly, there is significant overlap in the UK and, if you’re going to make the synergies work, you have to remove duplicated roles, head offices and offices.”

Both analysts expected Friends

Inside today

Shock therapy behind insurer’s stellar rise Page 34

shares, which were thumped in March after George Osborne’s annuity reforms were revealed in the budget and which closed at 347¾p last week, to open higher today as the market gets its first chance to react to the all-share offer.

However, Aviva shares, which under Mark Wilson, the chief executive, have rallied more than 80 per cent from their nadir in April last year, may come under

pressure as investors question the rationale of the deal, they added.

Mr Cornes said that they were likely to want to hear the extent of savings Mr Wilson expects from the deal, and possible clarification on whether it would allow him to bump up the dividend payment.

Aviva’s chief executive is understood to be attracted to the deal, which will create an insurance, savings and asset management colossus with 16 million customers, because it will help him to free up more cash and cut debt relative to assets, allowing Aviva to return to an A credit rating far sooner than expected.

Friends’ £68 billion book of closed life assurance funds, known as Heritage, is believed to throw off about £2 billion of cash each year. It is also debt free, so combining the two would reduce “leverage”, or borrowings relative to assets, across the merged entity.

Mr Flanagan remains far from convinced, though. “I’m struggling to come up with why this is a slam-dunk deal,” he said. “This is a very defensive deal. I don’t think it’s far from a rights issue in disguise. The restructuring of Aviva 18 Continued on page 34, col 4

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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Business

Need to know Your 5-minute digest The week ahead today Cranswick, the food producer with products spanning retail shelves and restaurant menus, reports its interims. In its trading update in October, the company said that it expected to report first-half revenues in line with the same period last year. Analysts at Investec say the company’s balance sheet is strong and that they expect the group to have little, if any, net debt by the year end. The company expects a good Christmas and third quarter.

Interims: Cranswick, Eckoh, GB Group, Accsys Technologies AGM/EGM: Origin Enterprises, Manchester & London Investment Trust Public Limited Company, Amlin, Avation Group, Amur Minerals Corporation Trading Statement: Amlin

tomorrow Nationwide, the world’s largest building society, reports results for the six months to the end of September. Made up of more than 100 mergers — most notably between Nationwide and the Anglia Building Society in 1987 and between Nationwide and Portman in 2007 — it is now a top-three provider of household savings and mortgages. The company, which reported a strong first quarter, is likely to provide an update on how it has benefited from the housing market boom and whether it has further capitalised on new rules making it easier to switch personal accounts.

Interims: Nationwide Building Society, Accumuli, Severfield-Rowen, Signet Jewelers, Scapa, Renold, KCOM, Quintain Estates & Development, Essar Energy, De La Rue, Caledonia Investments, Severn Trent, Byotrol, AO World; Chamberlin, Creston Finals: Arcadia, Mitchells & Butlers, Paragon Diamonds, Renew Holdings, Topps Tiles, Zoopla Property, Greencore, Cambria Automobiles AGM/EGM: Wolseley, Black Mountain Resources, Just Retirement, Wildhorse Energy, Pantheon International Participations, Conexion Media Trading Statement: Kingfisher Economics: UK: BBA loans for house purchase; US: GDP

wednesday Thomas Cook’s recovery grows ever stronger as the company is expected to report an increase in earnings for the year to the end of September.

The company is expected to post a figure of £323 million, a rise of 23 per cent despite a backdrop of difficult European markets. Thomas Cook is halfway through a plan to drive savings and return the group to profit after a near collapse in 2011 because

Bad taste even Tabasco can’t mask Gary Parkinson Trade Secrets

T

hursday last, and the 49th annual Guinness and Oyster luncheon is humming.

Mansion House, the lord mayor’s pad, staggering distance from the Bank of England, all gilt and Dutch masters, is rammed with halfcut brokers in sober suits quaffing shelled phlegm spiced with Tabasco, velvety stout and a dynamite potted shrimp, in industrial quantity.

It’s three days since Rob Terry was hoofed out of Quindell, the insurance claims processor he founded and ran, and still all anyone is talking about is the share buy that turned out to be a sale that cost him his job.

The distinction matters.

Directors know the companies they run. They buy shares, it’s a signal they’re cheap. Follow them in. Sell, they’re toppy. Head for the door, too.

To recap. On Bonfire Night, Quindell issued an official announcement through the stock exchange’s Regulatory News Service. Headed “Director Share Purchases”, it stated that Terry and a couple of other directors had “purchased” knocking on two million quid of stock.

To pay for this, the RNS said, the directors had “entered into a loan facility that may result in the transfer” of a load of their stock as “security”, to an Indianapolis-based outfit named Equities First Holdings. After two years, the trio of “purchasing directors are each required to redeem the transferred shares . . . when the loan is repaid”.

“May result in the transfer” and “required to redeem”, you’ll note. Signed off by Cenkos Securities, Quindell’s

World markets FTSE 100 6,750.76 (+71.86)

6,800

FTSE 250 15,691.62 (+87.10)

16,000

6,700

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15,200

6,500

Tue

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Dow Jones 17,810.06 (+91.06)

6,400

18,000

Tue

Wed

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Nikkei 17,357.51 (+56.65)

18,000 17,600

17,800

17,200

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The week’s biggest movers Company Tullow Oil Positive broker comment Babcock Profits rise Fresnillo Dearer precious metal Johnson Matthey Stronger sales Randgold Firmer gold prices SABMiller Tepid earnings Standard Chartered Worries about a potential rights issue J Sainsbury Bearish analyst research Royal Mail Parcels growth will halve Intertek Margins are flat

nominated adviser, the wily market pros patrolling the mean streets of AIM on behalf of the stock exchange.

A short five days of narky questioning later comes another RNS notice, the “correction”. The stock loan turns out to have been a sale netting Terry and the boys just shy of £8.8 million, the “legal and beneficial interest” in the shares already transferred to EFH, in return for 67 per cent of their average price over three days.

An easy mistake for any experienced stockbroker to make. Unless he took a glance at the very first “International FAQ” on EFH’s website.

Question: Is there a transfer of ownership? Answer: Yes. EFH might be little known,

Change 8.8% 8.3% 5.8% 5.7% 5.6% -0.7% -1.8% -3.9% -7.8% -8.6%

but its website has a wealth of interesting nuggets for anyone naffed to look.

Take International FAQ 5: What is the timing for delivery of funding? “Once the investor presents securities and accepts the terms offered, he can get funded within 5 to 7 business days.”

Translated from the American, that means, EFH says, Terry et al got their dough right away.

Neither does EFH flog all London-quoted stock right off the bat, as it does with customers’ US paper. Though, for clarity, the second RNS did make plain that, short of shorting those Quindell shares, EFH can do whatever it likes with them, “and is

under no obligation to hold or retain” them.

At least Terry and the boys were still “contractually obliged” to buy them two years down the line.

Mmmmmmm . . . Back to the EFH website. “In the event of a substantial decline in market value [of the shares], clients can simply walk away from the loan with no additional expense because it is a nonrecourse loan.” If you don’t want to buy back your shares, we won’t come after you. And you won’t lose your house.

EFH pays the brokers who bring them deals 3 per cent commission. It makes its money by paying less than the market price for the stock and then, it says, trading cleverly in and out of it over the life of the loan.

If you’re a company director looking to raise a little folding, it sounds like one spectacular deal. Hand over your shares to EFH. Get back “up to 80 per cent” of their market value. It’s a “loan” that you never have to pay back, but because it’s a loan you’re not liable for capital gains tax, 28 per cent for most people.

As the EFH website points out, if “you would like to avoid the tax consequences of selling securities, you could consider a loan utilizing the stock as collateral”. When you put it like that . . .

Except, default on your loan and CGT liability does kick in.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with share sales and repurchases. They free up cash in a post-crisis AIM market where equity finance is trickier to come by.

It’s such disingenuous disclosure that has left a sour taste in the mouths of the City that even Tabasco won’t take away.

What the papers said THE SUNDAY TIMES 6 Four Seasons Health Care: Britain’s biggest care homes operator is to be broken up.

Guy Hands, the private equity entrepreneur who bought the company two years ago for £825 million, is to split the group into three divisions, handling NHS patients, private patients and mental health patients. The group is saddled with heavy debts and posted a 30 per cent fall in first-half profits.

6 Ineos: The chemicals giant that announced plans last week to spend £640 million on shale oil projects is also planing to spend hundreds of millions more on North Sea oil and gasfields.

6 Clive Cowdery: The insurance tycoon will bank about £160 million from Aviva’s planned takeover of

Friends Life. His profits include a personal bonus of £120 million, which is part of £200 million due to the executives who orchestrated the creation of Friends Life through the purchase of Friends Provident in 2009.

6 Galliard Homes: Cain Hoy, an American group, has clinched a deal with the property manager to build £1 billion of flats and houses in London. It has identified prosperous districts, such as Clapham and Chiswick, for the joint venture.

6 General Healthcare Group: The owner of BMI hospitals is selling 35 treatment centres to a consortium of hedge funds that includes KKR, DE Shaw and Centerbridge as part of a £1.5 billion restructuring.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

MAIL ON SUNDAY

6 BT: Some of Britain’s biggest telecoms groups will this week launch a campaign to loosen BT’s dominance of the business broadband market. EE, BSkyB, Virgin Media and Vodafone will call on the regulator to allow them to lay their own cables in BT ducts.

6 Goldman Sachs: A banker was reprimanded by his boss for questioning a trade he conducted on behalf of Libya’s sovereign wealth fund. The revelation comes in the midst of a legal battle in which Goldman has been accused of misleading officials at the $60 billion Libyan Investment Authority.

6 Kerry Foods: The readymeals supplier to Marks & Spencer is looking to sell its frozen foods division.

6 Bonuses: Bankers could see their pay double as a consequence of George Osborne’s failure to reverse an EU cap on bankers’ bonuses. Jon Terry, a PwC partner who advises banks on pay, said that basic salaries would now rise even more steeply to compensate for lost bonuses.

6 Hatfield Colliery: Britain’s last viable deep coal mine faces crunch talks this week to secure its future. The mine was kept afloat by a loan of £4 million from the National Union of Mineworkers.

6 Airline insurance: Airlines face big rises in insurance bills because of the two Malaysian Airlines disasters this year. JLT, the broker, believes the disasters will cost insurers up to £450 million.

overcapacity in the holiday market. It has reduced debt from £788 million at the end of 2012 to between £300 million and £350 million.

Interims: United Utilities, 600 Group, Private & Commercial Finance, Telford Homes, Hogg Robinson, Igas Energy, Findel, LondonMetric Property, First Property Finals: Patisserie Holdings, Compass, Britvic, Daily Mail & General Trust, Thomas Cook AGM/EGM: International Ferro Metals, African Barrick Gold, Forte Energy, K3 Business Technology; Dragonfly Investments, Baillie Gifford Japan Trust, Pure Wafer, Regenersis Trading Statement: Wolseley Economics: UK: GDP, Index of services, CBI distributive trades

thursday The financial updates of Network Rail are largely meaningless. Its two income streams are direct government grants and money from the train operators, whose own finances are for the most part directed by the Department for Transport. Profit is ploughed back into its multibillion-pound engineering programmes, though the efficiency of the company is highlighted by the direction of its operating costs.

Of course, its £33 billion of debt is now more significant as EU rules state it has to sit on the national balance sheet.

Interims: Network Rail, VP, Public Power Corp, Digital Barriers, RPC, Palace Capital; PayPoint, Acal, Mountview Estates Finals: Marston’s, Impax Asset Management, Shaftesbury, SSP AGM/EGM: Transense Technologies, Red Emperor Resources, Netcall, Global Petroleum, Ferrum Crescent, City Natural Resources High Yield Trust, Berkeley Resources, Avanti Communications, Allocate Software, Harbourvest Senior Loans Europe, Ingenious Entertainment, Eclectic Bar Economics: US: Thanksgiving — financial markets closed

friday Considered the traditional beginning of the Christmas shopping season, so-called Black Friday marks the day when retailers offer big savings to entice shoppers and supposedly haul themselves “back into the black”. The event has been adopted by many countries and is expected to be the biggest ever online shopping day in Britain as retailers including John Lewis, Argos, Dixons and Amazon cut prices.

Interims: Arrow Global, Pennon, Real Estate Credit Investments, Helical Bar; TCS Finals: Zambeef Products AGM/EGM: Aquarius Platinum, Gemfields, Mosman Oil And Gas, Plaza Centers, Quadrise Fuels International Economics: UK: Consumer confidence

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Business SAM PANTHAKY / GETTY

PPI claims groups ‘grabbing millions for doing very little’ Edward Curwen

Threadbare Arun Jaitley, the Indian finance minister, has promised to set out a series of reforms to help businesses such as this textile factory near Ahmedabad. He expected the measures to lift the stuttering economy to 6 per cent growth by 2016

Monday November 24 2014 | the times

Claims firms have taken £155 million in commission in the past year from people applying for compensation for mis-sold payment protection insurance, according to a Times analysis of some of the biggest players.

Annual accounts filed at Companies House by seven of the largest claim management firms reveal multimillion-pound turnovers made from commission on payments to victims, whereby lenders mis-sold PPI to customers.

The largest of them by turnover last year was Claims Advisory Group, which generated revenues of £40.4 million through its 39 per cent commission on payments made on PPI claims. Its highest-paid director earned £254,555 last year, according to the accounts.

Another, Gladstone Brookes, said in a filing at Companies House that it remained a “market leader in the PPI claims industry” with increasing applications despite a “hardened attitude” from banks. It pulled in £31.2 million in commission, paying a £1.65 million interim dividend last year. Key Financial Claims took £33.7 million in revenue, down from £52.4 million in 2012.

The firms are among the largest in the lucrative PPI market.

Claims management companies take basic details from prospective customers and make a PPI claim to a bank on their behalf, tying customers into giving a portion of whatever they receive to the firm as a fee.

The banks bear the cost of any investigations into claims and calculating the payout due, leading critics to suggest that the firms are doing “very little”, before charging up to 42 per cent in commission.

Which?, the consumer group, has criticised the companies, noting that its website gives consumers free access to the same service. Richard Lloyd, its executive director, said: “Consumers should avoid using claims firms that charge hefty fees for PPI complaints they could easily do themselves for free.”

Some firms can even leave the claimant losing money. A close reading of the terms of engagement at one of

Taking the lead Turnover Commission/ fee Claims Advisory Group

£40.3m

39%

Key Financial Claims

£33.7m

33.33%

Gladstone Brookes

£31.2m

25%

The Claims Guys

£17.1m

30%

Brunel Franklin

£15.6m

33%

We Fight Any Claim

£10.5m

42%

Investor Compensation

£7.3m

30%

Source: Times research

the companies reveals that if the customer owes more to their bank than they are due in a PPI payment, then their payout will be used to pay down their debt. However, the claim management company will still charge commission, leaving the claimant emptyhanded and indebted to the claim firm.

Martin Lewis, the founder and editor of MoneySavingExpert.com, said: “The problem is that for many people they don’t add anything to the process.

Claims companies are no more successful than doing it yourself.

“There are a few good guys who really spearheaded things when the banks were playing games . . . but in most cases they’re just grabbing. They stretch from profiting to profiteering.”

Britain’s five biggest banks have been hammered by PPI claims, and have set aside a total of £22.8 billion to cover the ballooning costs.

Nearly six million claims were lodged in 2012 and four million were filed in the past year, with £16 billion paid to customers who were mis-sold PPI after 13 million complaints in the past seven years, according to the Financial Conduct Authority. The increase in the last few years is believed to be down to aggressive advertising by claim management companies.

Whiplash fraud a familiar story for one in ten drivers Miles Costello

One in ten drivers has put in a bogus or inflated insurance claim for whiplash injury or knows someone who has, according to a survey by Axa. In fresh evidence that the burgeoning compensation culture in Britain shows no signs of abating, 78 per cent of those polled by the insurer agreed that the claims system was “open to abuse”.

Seventy-three per cent of respondents said that it was easier to “embellish” a whiplash injury than any other type of insurance claim.

Despite the high incidence of fraud among motorists, the majority of drivers, 62 per cent, would back the introduction of mandatory medical examinations to tighten up the process, even if meant that premiums would rise.

Axa believes that consumers’ natural reticence about admitting to deception means that the real figure on claims

fakery is likely to be considerably higher. It wants the government to go farther in pushing through reforms aimed at weeding out malpractice.

Chris Voller, Axa’s UK claims director, said: “One might expect that the percentage of people admitting to being or knowing a fraudster is lower than the real number but even at the level indicated in our survey, the amount of fraud taking place is disturbingly high.

“This reveals the scale of the problem and the uphill challenge the government and insurance industry still face if this proportion is to be reduced in the mid to long term.”

The government and the insurance industry have been on high alert for at least four years about whiplash, where the cost of paying out claims adds an estimated £90 to the cost of the average annual premium, according to the Association of British Insurers.

Populus, which carried out the research in July, surveyed 2,000 adults.

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Nomadic big brokers fold their tents and walk away from AIM Deirdre Hipwell

One of the biggest broking houses in London is poised to stop advising companies listed on AIM in the latest blow to the junior stock market for growth companies.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch is understood to be actively reviewing whether to remain a nominated adviser (nomad) on AIM, and a decision to withdraw is considered likely.

If the American investment bank steps down it will mean that there are only three large “bulge bracket” banks left acting as nomads to companies on AIM. It would also mean that Bank of America would quit as nomad to Bowleven, a natural resources company and its last client on AIM. The bank is still advising Bowleven and no decision has been taken yet to resign as its nomad.

It is the latest blow to AIM, many of whose stars of the past have stumbled this year. Shares in Asos, the fashion retailer, have more than halved, and Quindell, the insurance outsourcer, has been engulfed in a crisis that led to the resignation last week of Rob Terry, its founder and chairman.

In the year to August the 100 largest companies on AIM had fallen by an average of 1.6 per cent, compared with a rise of 5.6 per cent for the FTSE 100.

The junior market is geared towards smaller “high-growth” companies that seek to raise capital to expand. It has less demanding listing requirements than the main market and generally attracts less mature companies, which can be volatile.

A number of the big investment banks became nomads on AIM during the natural resources boom. Since then, however, AIM has fallen victim to a move by large institutional investors away from smaller companies and into large ones.

If Bank of America withdraws, it will

follow its rivals, including UBS, which ceased to be registered as a nomad two years ago and has no remaining AIM clients, although it will still act as corporate broker. Morgan Stanley’s brokerage division is more focused on the FTSE blue-chip index, and Deutsche Bank withdrew as an AIM nomad last year.

One senior broker at a big bank said that the amount of work for a small client “was almost the same as for a large one but often for much smaller returns.”

JP Morgan is one of the few remaining large investment banks still advising AIM companies, but they account for only about five of its 190 listed clients. Citi and Royal Bank of Scotland still provide nomad services.

Nomads provide research and operate a quasi-regulatory role, and so provide reassurance to investors.

“You just have to see the market reaction to the news that Canaccord [Genuity] had quit as [financial adviser] to Quindell to see the importance of advisers to investors,” one broker said.

Patric Johnson, head of securities at Panmure Gordon, the broker, said: “I can see how the market might view the big bulge-bracket banks leaving AIM as negative as people might think it is a sign that it has become too much hassle and too risky. However, I read this more positively as it is part of a much larger theme around specialisation where [banking and advisory] expertise gets pooled in certain areas.”

Andrew Pinder, head of investment banking at Investec, which acts for more than 30 AIM companies, agreed: “This is not an AIM issue but more a market issue as most of the bulgebracket banks are now focused on just the FTSE 100 or even just the FTSE 50.

“The bulge-bracket banks have to take a different approach because of their revenue model. However, I don’t think their lack of interest this is a bad thing for AIM. When institutions are

Bank hires Morgan Stanley to speed up its British exit Marcus Leroux

The Australian owner of the Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks has taken a step closer to leaving Britain by appointing advisers for a potential £2 billion-plus flotation of its troubled UK business.

National Australian Bank said last month that exiting Britain was an “absolute priority”. In its annual report last week it emphasised the urgency and said that it was looking at a potential initial public offering. “The group will examine a broader range of options, including those provided by public markets, to accelerate an exit from UK Banking,” it said.

NAB has hired Morgan Stanley to advise on the share sale, according to weekend reports. Morgan Stanley declined to comment and National Australian Bank did not return calls seeking comment.

Clydesdale and Yorkshire have more than 300 branches between them but have been ravaged by compensation for mis-selling payment protection insurance.

Andrew Thorburn favours a return to core markets

It took a £670 million provision against PPI mis-selling early last month.

Andrew Thorburn, NAB’s chief executive, arrived three months ago hinting that he would retrench Australia’s fourth-largest bank to its core domestic and New Zealand markets.

In a separate process, NAB is selling off its commercial real estate portfolio in Britain. It split the commercial property loans from the retail banking division two years ago, which was regarded as a precursor to a wider pull-out. NAB made its first move into the UK with the purchase of Clydesdale in 1987. Yorkshire Bank was bought three years later.

As recently as 2010 it was tipped as a potential buyer for Northern Rock. In 2011 it considered combining with NBNK, the startup that was on the hunt for the 632 branches being sold by Lloyds Banking Group.

Analysts have long blamed the UK business for putting a drag on the group. The company could be worth about £2.4 billion if it is valued on a similar multiple to TSB, which floated in June.

thinking about investing, the question of whether the company is on AIM or the main market is not even a top ten question.”

A spokesman for AIM said that the exchange was “by far the most successful small-cap market in the world, in part thanks to the variety of advisers and investors that support the market”, which includes large accountancy groups, such as PwC, and smaller boutique brokers. Bank of America and Bowleven declined to comment.

Business SUZANNE PLUNKETT / REUTERS

Stars of AIM, including the fashion retailer Asos, have stumbled in the past year

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Business

Low-earners’ pension fund weighs up higher risk Patrick Hosking Financial Editor

The pension fund for millions of low earners is considering offering controversial higher-risk arrangements as it prepares for new freedoms promised from next April.

The National Employment Savings Trust said that it was looking at socalled collective defined contribution pensions in a consultation document published today.

Supporters of CDC pensions say that they can deliver pensions 30 per cent greater for the same contributions.

Critics believe that they are half-baked and too good to be true. Earlier this year

the Department for Work and Pensions announced plans to pave the way for CDC pensions in Britain, promising enabling legislation before the general election in May. A move into CDC by the trust would be a huge boost to this type of pension arrangement. The trust already has 1.7 million contributing members and is growing by 100,000 a month as autoenrolment nudges millions of low earners into saving for the first time.

The trust’s predecessor explored the pensions five years ago, but rejected it in favour of a conventional defined contribution scheme. In today’s report, the trust says that it is looking again at

the concept. Under CDC pension arrangements, members share more risk and are able to adopt more adventurous and higher-returning investment strategies. Risks are shared between different cohorts of savers so that no particular generation is caught out by, say, the timing of a bear market.

“It’s possible that simple models of risk sharing, or perhaps a more comprehensive approach through the implementation of systems like CDC, could offer a means of delivering both security and flexibility for incomes in retirement,” the report said.

Mark Fawcett, the trust’s chief investment officer, said that while the

30 per cent higher pensions claim for CDC was true in theory, the evidence was not as strong.

The trust is preparing for next April when new rules come in abolishing the requirement for most people to use their pension pots to buy an annuity or income for life.

“The government has given the industry a once-in-a-generation chance to start with a blank sheet and really figure out, from the ground up, how to make defined contribution savings work in retirement,” Mr Fawcett said.

“The solutions we develop over the next few years could determine the lives of millions of people in old age.”

The trust is exploring what new services could be offered to members at and after retirement as well as rethinking its standard practice of “lifestyling”, gradually reducing each member’s exposure to higher-risk investments in the ten years before retirement.

Trust members are taking their savings as cash at retirement because the scheme is so immature and pots so tiny. In coming years it will be under pressure to come up with flexible arrangements for those with larger pots.

Enabling legislation for CDC schemes is due to complete its passage through the Commons tomorrow with Royal Assent expected early next year.

Kiwi who made insurer fly with a little shock therapy Profile

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nsurance is in Mark Wilson’s blood. His grandfather was in the industry and so was his father (Gary Parkinson writes). The 48-year-old Kiwi, below, who runs Aviva likes to tell stories of tramping round Rotorua, the city on New Zealand’s North Island where he was born, as a child with his father, handing out cheques to policyholders. Rugby was not the usual topic for discussion around the kitchen table.

Direct and outspoken, Mr Wilson has lobbed brickbats at Britain’s insurance industry since taking over its second-biggest player at the beginning of last year.

The epidemic of whiplash claims, fraud and a “dysfunctional” motor insurance market have all been in his sights.

Neither has he been shy about Aviva’s own shortcomings, either internally with employees or externally with investors.

In what insiders describe as just one example of his “shock therapy”, to make individual managers of the group’s 40 business lines more accountable, he brings them together in a room each year, ranks them in terms of profitability, creates league tables and makes laggards stand and explain themselves in front of their peers.

Mr Wilson has also tried to kill Aviva’s internal complexity.

The executive now meet monthly, not

weekly. He has nearly halved the scale from the 30 countries where the £16 billion group operated and has poached staff for several key positions. In January, Euan Munro, formerly at Standard Life, became chief executive of Aviva Investors, the fund management arm. Four months later, Tom Stoddard joined as finance director from Blackstone, the private equity group.

Analysts say that Mr Wilson is “a big picture guy with an ability to laser in on detail”, after working in a cross-section of roles within the industry, including actuarial, finance and marketing.

A graduate of the University of Waikato, he joined Aviva after plans by Prudential, Britain’s largest insurer, to buy AIA, the pan-Asian life assurer where he was chief executive, collapsed.

He took over from Andrew Moss, who was forced out after an investor revolt during the City’s “Shareholder Spring”.

Wilson, who guards his privacy fiercely, has been a vocal standard bearer for the wider insurance industry at the Un United Nations in Geneva and elsewhere, arguing that insurance can be a force for good, by investing in infrastructure and backing efforts to tackle climate change.

However, during the next few weeks, the City will be interested in more prosaic matters, such as cost savings, cash flows, debts and dividends.

Savings key to Aviva deal Continued from page 30

months ago was to get the debt down, get the cash generation flowing and get the dividend up for shareholders.

“They are saying that the debt level will now reduce, but not through anything Aviva itself has done. It’s by buying a debt-free company. And they are buying a cash-flow to pay a dividend stream they have hinted about.”

Analysts also said that the deal appeared to contradict Aviva’s previously stated strategy to mend its back-book to free up cash before hunting for growth elsewhere, in places such

as Asia, Singapore and across Continental Europe. Timing was an issue for Mr Flanagan, too, with the Financial Conduct Authority looking into closed books of business, so-called zombie funds, dating from the 1970s to the turn of the millennium, amid concern about whether or not customers were getting a fair deal.

Friends has already said that it was “willing to recommend” the tie-up to investors. Aviva is paying 399p a share in paper, a 15 per cent premium to Friends’ closing price the night before the deal was announced.

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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Business

Ian King

Centrica faces £150m writedown in sell-off

Rush-hour traffic forces banks to embrace the age of technology

‘‘

Ian King is business presenter for Sky News. Ian King Live is broadcast at 6.30pm Monday to Thursday

Simon McNamara is waving around what appears to be an iPhone 6. The chief administrative officer of RBS Group is doing so to highlight the way in which customer expectations in the world of banking are changing.

“It’s not that long ago that, to be perfectly honest, the only services we provided were at a cash counter within a branch,” he says. “Now, between the hours of 7.30 and 9 o’clock in the morning, this device is the most active service that we provide. We used to be closed at that time, our branches weren’t available and, even with internet banking, most people had done that before they left for work. Now, we’re seeing our most active period. We’ve got four million logons on a daily basis, 750,000 payments on a device that didn’t exist three or four years ago.

“That’s the nature, the changing nature, of the beast that is banking.”

Mr McNamara, who was drafted into RBS in September last year after the systems failure for which the bank was fined £56 million last week by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England, has highlighted one of the many technological challenges banks face.

Aside from an enormous increase in the volume of transactions, he could also have cited the growing need to see off attacks by cybercriminals and hackers, not to mention physical terrorists. Simply getting the basics right, of merely processing transactions properly, is not nearly enough in this day and age.

This burly man, with the authoritative but affable air of an old-fashioned copper, is not one to complain. For, far from regarding IT as a pain in the backside, Mr McNamara — who started out at the old Midland Bank and who has worked in banking technology for more than a quarter of a century — sees it as an opportunity for Britain’s banks.

Better technology, he argues, will help an individual bank to provide a better service than that of its competitors. “I genuinely think service is what will differentiate [between banks] best. You have got to invest to create that differentiation in service and, therefore, ultimately the economics have got to support that level of investment. There’s a lot we

EDDIE KEOGH / REUTERS

RBS says that the surge in smartphone use has changed the nature of banking

are doing to improve the service independently of what we can charge for those services.”

After the RBS debacle, there was much commentary on the “sticking plaster” approach of many UK retail banks and their tendency to apply “patches” to antiquated IT systems that, in some cases, date back to the 1960s. However, according to Mr McNamara, that is rather a simplistic interpretation of what has been happening.

He says that the problems at RBS were more complicated than that.

“Genuinely, I don’t think it’s about the age of the infrastructure,” he says.

“It was more to do with some of the complexity that we created and the lack of visibility to all the moving parts [that prevented us from being

able to] address an issue as effectively as we needed to in that circumstance.

“Where we had really focused was on if a data centre failed, another one would stand in. In this particular case, we ended up with a situation where the balances here and the balances there were both wrong and therefore again, what we have done subsequently is invest in a third copy of that data that gives us another level of contingency. It also allows us to stand up some other services. So, essentially, it was not the ageing of the infrastructure but more some of the complexities there, a lot of which we have engineered out subsequently. We’ve made about 20,000 changes to our overnight processes as a reflection of that incident to improve our ability to

Final toast to a Lloyd’s institution

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bout 15 years ago, playing the journalist’s parlour game of “what would be the title of soand-so’s autobiography?”, a colleague ventured that a co-worker renowned for his bibulousness and his keen knowledge of the London reinsurance market would have to call his I Left My Liver at Lloyd’s.

One of the bars where our mutual colleague would have doubtless quenched his impressive thirst was the City Flogger, a Lloyd’s institution, which sadly closed its doors for the final time last week. Demolishing the

building that houses it was the only way the Flogger was going to shut up shop after 36 years. Looking in on its final lunchtime, most of the Lloyd’s market appeared to be in there, with the bar six-deep in places.

The tavern, owned by the Davy’s and which famously stocked 36 varieties of champagne, will certainly be missed. One assumes that, in due course, the name — a flogger, by the way, is a mallet-like contraption used to hammer the cork into a wine bottle — will be revived by Davy’s elsewhere in the Square Mile.

manage it and to fix an issue if there is one there.”

That complexity is not just technological but organisational. Since his arrival at RBS, which poached him from Standard Chartered, Mr McNamara has also tried to remove some of the confusion created by years of aggressive expansion via mergers and acquisitions.

He reveals: “This place used to have 20 different technology departments that did things, not independently of each other, but that were focused around the individual businesses and might solve the same problem three or four times.

“Now what we’re doing is saying, ‘Who in their portfolio is going to take the lead on HTML 5, give us the capability?’, and say, ‘Actually those guys in markets do a pretty good job, let’s put it into the retail bank’.

“So, for example, we’ve taken a piece of technology that’s designed for foreign exchange traders and it’s perfectly adequate to stick it into a branch because it’s the wonderful world of the web. Historically, we’d have done that twice or three times, and so on. So there’s a real opportunity if you get your hands around the portfolio and can understand where the focus is.”

Tackling the problems of that summer 2012 meltdown has also helped RBS to address another thorny issue looming on the horizon: the demerger of a chunk of branches, now bearing the old Williams & Glyn banner, to comply with EU state-aid rules after the bank’s rescue by taxpayers in 2008. One of the problems that exacerbated things in June 2012 was what Mr McNamara calls a “cross-contamination” of Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and NatWest. The technology underpinning those three entities has been separated and the lessons learnt have made it easier for RBS to create a stand-alone IT capability for Williams & Glyn when it is demerged.

It is an old adage that a crisis creates opportunities and should never be wasted. On that basis, it is possible that some good may eventually emerge from the 2012 systems meltdown at RBS, even if it may not have felt like it at the time to 6.5 million customers.

’’

Deirdre Hipwell

Centrica is ramping up efforts to sell three gas-fired power stations amid speculation that the energy group could be forced to write down the value of the facilities to achieve a sale.

Senior management at Centrica will be hosting presentations to interested bidders who have made it through to the second round this week at its Langage gas plant near Plymouth, which is being sold alongside its South Humber Bank and Killinghome facilities.

The proposed disposal is the largest sale of assets in the UK energy sector under way and indicates a significant strategy shift for Centrica when returns from gas plants are under pressure.

Centrica, the owner of British Gas, said in May that it would sell the plants as part of a strategy to offload assets begun by Sam Laidlaw, the outgoing chief executive.

It has sold three gas power stations in Texas to Blackstone for £420 million and a wind farm off the coast of Norfolk. It is in the process of disposing of its gas operations in Trinidad and Tobago. The group wants to reinvest capital released from the asset sales into higher-margin activities.

Interested parties are understood to include Macquarie Group Infrastructure and Real Assets, which has been active in the energy sector in recent years.

One expert said that Centrica could find the sale challenging because there was at least a £150 million gap between a likely sales price and the £500 million book value of the stations. “They want about £500 million but, when you really look, it is nearer the range of £250 million to £350 million altogether,” he said.

“That is a pretty big gap and Centrica won’t want to take the writedown.”

Others questioned why Centrica was seeking a sale now, given the challenges facing the wider market and depressed forward gas prices.

However, Centrica is understood to believe that the plants, which are being sold in two separate processes, offer investors diversification across plant age, efficiency and cost structure. The Langage plant is considered to be the most desirable asset.

The three gas stations are “baseload” plants, which tend to run full time, rather than “peaking plants”, which are turned on only when needed.

“Much [of the success of the disposal] will depend on how they structure the sale,” one adviser said.

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Republicans want more scrutiny of Fed Alexandra Frean Washington

Republicans are planning to revive legislation that would open up the US Federal Reserve to greater scrutiny.

Previous attempts to subject the central bank to a full audit have often been dismissed as a fringe issue, but the ideas are gaining ground in the political mainstream.

Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky is planning to publish a bill next year to require the government Accountability Office to conduct a full examination of the Fed’s actions.

“The American public needs more

Shoppers take digital option for Christmas

insight into the practices of the Federal Reserve. Behind closed doors, the Fed crafts monetary policy that will continue to devalue our currency, slow economic growth, and make life harder for the poor and middle class,” Mr Massie said.

“It is time to force the Federal Reserve to operate by the same standards of transparency and accountability to the taxpayers that we should demand of all government agencies.”

The move comes as the Fed faces renewed criticism for failures before the financial crisis and for being too cosy with the banks it is supposed to

regulate. Three reviews into its work, including one commissioned by the central bank, are continuing.

Many in the Fed, including Janet Yellen, the chairwoman, oppose any idea of an audit. She told the Senate banking committee last year that it would “subject the Fed to short-term pressures that would affect its independence”.

An attempt at legislation this year was blocked in the Senate with Harry Reid, the Democrat majority leader, refusing to bring a bill to the floor.

Now, with the Republicans poised to take control in January after this

month’s midterm election victory, the push for reform is gaining traction.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has said that he would introduce a bill and a floor vote and more mainstream politicians are embracing the idea.

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who is set to become the new majority leader in January, has indicated willingness to co-sponsor a bill in the Senate. It’s significant too that an ‘Audit the Fed’ bill put forward by outgoing Congressman Paul Broun of Georgia, a Republican, was overwhelmingly passed in September.

Republicans pressing for more Fed CARLOS TISCHLER / REX

openness may also find they have unlikely allies in a coalition of labour unions and community groups, organised by the Centre for Popular Democracy, a New York advocacy group.

By law, 12 regional Fed boards are supposed to represent a diverse set of viewpoints, including a “fair representation of the financial, agricultural, industrial, and commercial interests and geographical divisions of the country.”

In fact, corporate executives are heavily over-represented among the non-bank Fed board members, as they are among the Federal Reserve Banks.

House price growth to hit 7% this year

Andrew Clark Deputy Business Editor

Deirdre Hipwell

At least 40p out of every pound spent this holiday season will be “digitally influenced” as shoppers use technology to research or buy their goods.

The digitalisation of consumer habits has advanced to a point where £15 billion will be spent in transactions that use laptops, desktops, tablets or mobile phones at some stage.

Deloitte, the consulting firm, reckons that technology will be a driving force behind a projected 4 per cent increase in overall retail spending to £42.4 billion in the run-up to Christmas.

“Technology will play a role both as a mechanism and enabler for shopping and as a gift-giving category,” Ben Perkins, head of consumer research at Deloitte, said. “We feel like we’re being quite conservative with this figure.”

Deloitte’s forecast for Christmas spending is significantly more bullish than several other projections. Verdict, the retail analysis firm, recently said that it expected a more modest rise in spending of 2.6 per cent.

One of the fastest growing phenomena is “click and collect”, whereby consumers order online and pick up their goods in stores or at collection points.

Deloitte expects 45 per cent of all online transactions to be on a clickand-collect basis, and some stores are predicting an even higher percentage.

House prices are on the rise again after a dip in September, pushing the annual rate of inflation to nearly 7 per cent.

Britain’s largest independent estate agent reports that average house prices rose by 1.2 per cent in October.

Haart said the return to growth meant that UK property prices could grow by a further 3.5 per cent and 5 per cent next year.

The figures echo a report by Hometrack last week which revealed that house prices in Britain’s top 20 cities were growing by more than 5 per cent a year. The property analytics business said that house price inflation had reached a stage where it was more than three times the growth in average earnings.

Haart said that the average home now costs £204,247 with prices continuing to be driven by “ten buyers chasing each property for sale”.

The most expensive postcodes are in West London but Haart said that houses throughout the capital were now more than £400,000.

The price for an average first-time buyer is also back on an “upward trajectory” rising 3 per cent in October and 8.1 per cent on an annual basis.

However, Haart said the number of new buyers was down 2.4 per cent in October and 12.3 per cent annually.

Sweet smell of success Paris Hilton launches her new perfume, With Love, at the Liverpool department store in Mexico City

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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Business HIGH LEVEL / REX

Mansion is lined up for garage sale

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hree centuries after it was built by an ageing Christopher Wren, Marlborough House has become the centrepiece of a proposed garage sale to improve the nation’s finances (Marcus Leroux writes).

Labour believes that it can raise £100 million by selling four “non-

Online

essential” buildings, with £65 million to come from the neo-classical stone-and-brick townhouse near Buckingham Palace.

It is owned by The Crown Estate and occupied, free of charge, by the Commonwealth Secretariat. The other buildings are the QE2 Conference Centre in Westminster, which Labour believes could fetch £25 million, a restaurant in St James’ Park and The Civil Service Club in Great Scotland Yard.

Fortnightly briefings continue today for students taking part in the Target 2.0 Bank of England and The Times Interest Rate Challenge On tablet and at thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/target2/

RBS facing £30m lawsuit over its role in Libor-rigging Harry Wilson

Royal Bank of Scotland is facing its first UK lawsuit over its role in the Liborrigging scandal as part of a £30 million claim from a Manchester-based property developer.

Property Alliance Group is suing RBS over the alleged mis-sale of complex derivatives that were meant to protect the business from a rise in interest rates, but that ended up costing the company millions of pounds when rates fell.

The two sides will meet in court in London for the first time this week for a pre-trial hearing. Property Alliance alleges that the interest rate swaps that it was sold by RBS were not fair and would never have helped it even if rates had risen, and that the risks of the deal were not properly explained.

RBS has faced several swaps misselling claims, but Property Alliance’s lawsuit is the first against the bank to include allegations linked to the bank’s role in Libor-rigging, for which it has been fined hundreds of millions of pounds by regulators in Britain, the United States and on the Continent.

In court documents, the company said that RBS had made statements about Libor, which was used to price the swaps in question, that it knew or should have known “were untrue or may well be untrue”.

The use of Libor-rigging in a swaps case mirrors the approach taken by

Guardian Care Homes, a Wolverhampton-based care home operator, which in April reached a settlement understood to be worth about £40 million with Barclays over swaps mis-selling.

Guardian Care Homes settled only weeks before the case was due to go to trial, which would have entailed senior former Barclays managers, including Bob Diamond, the bank’s former chief executive, being called to give evidence.

The Property Alliance case could also involve senior former RBS bankers.

Like Guardian Care Homes, Property Alliance is claiming that because the benchmark rate against which the swaps sold to it was priced was potentially manipulated by its lender, the derivative contracts signed with the bank should be annulled.

The company is also alleging that RBS’s global restructuring group (GRG) played a big role in its problems after the bank transferred the business to the controversial turnaround unit, which has faced claims that it put viable companies out of business for profit.

Property Alliance said it believed that its prolonged transfer to GRG had been to the detriment of its operations, and that the reasons for putting it under the control of the unit in the first place had been unfair, given that the breach of its bank loan terms was caused “solely by RBS’s wrongful sale of the swaps to PAG [Property Alliance Group]”.

A spokeswoman for RBS declined to comment.

Bank’s chairman apologises after executives misled MPs Marcus Leroux

The chairman of RBS has apologised to MPs after executives misled parliament over the bank profiting from winding up small companies.

Sir Philip Hampton conceded that the bank’s representatives were wrong to tell the Treasury committee that RBS’s Global Restructuring Group, which has been disbanded, was not run as a “profit centre”.

Derek Sach and Chris Sullivan, of RBS, were questioned by the committee in June in the light of complaints that the GRG was profiting from liquidating salvageable companies.

The inherent “conflict of interest” was flagged up by Sir Andrew Large’s independent lending review last year and Sir Andrew called for “a forensic inquiry to substantiate or refute serious

Sir Philip Hampton: found lack of clarity “disappointing”

accusations”. Sir Philip, in a letter to Andrew Tyrie, the chairman of the committee, wrote: “The matter you raised, whether or not RBS executives misled the committee, is of course a very serious one. The evidence the bank’s representatives provided was not correct in answering the question as to whether GRG was a profit centre in the terms Sir Andrew Large described in his November 2013 report. This lack of clarity on an important point is very disappointing to the committee as it is to me and I apologise for it.”

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times2

‘I told François that I was willing to try for a baby with him’ In an exclusive extract from her memoir, Valérie Trierweiler, the former lover of the French president François Hollande, describes how they betrayed their partners and what happened after he ended their relationship

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n 2007, Trierweiler and François Hollande were conducting a clandestine affair as Ségolène Royal, Hollande’s partner, was campaigning for the presidency

On the one hand we were going through a nightmare in public; on the other hand we were living a private dream. The idea of being together after the election was what kept us going. Deep down, I was convinced that if she [Ségolène Royal] was elected he would not leave her. Despite his promises, I did not believe him.

We managed to spend a night together in the midst of all this and the next morning we switched the radio on to listen to the news in bed.

The first round of the presidential election was only a month away and the topic was Ségolène Royal’s upcoming campaign book. In it she wrote, “Yes, we are together: yes, François and I still live together”, and went on to outline her plans of marrying him on a canoe in Tahiti. François was furious; he felt trapped.

For all that, on the evening of the first round when it became apparent that Nicolas Sarkozy had secured victory, François was despondent. The rest is history. A few weeks after Ségolène Royal’s defeat, in a piece on Royal’s campaign entitled The femme fatale, two Le Monde journalists revealed that Hollande was in a relationship with an unnamed woman, and sparked off an explosion. Ségolène Royal wasted no time announcing in turn that she had asked him to leave the family home. The Agence France-Presse (AFP) rushed to make her sentence an “urgent” news report, even though the former couple had agreed on a joint statement.

All is fair in love and war and I now fully appreciate how betrayal can lead to so much resentment. I can easily imagine that during that period François behaved with Ségolène Royal as he did with me during his affair with Julie Gayet — which is to say

that he was the king of doublespeak, ambiguity and perpetual lies.

At the time, we lived in a small furnished flat that I loved, but François did not want to stay there.

He wanted us to move in together properly. We chose the flat I am still in, on Rue Cauchy, and spent time furnishing it to our liking.

I caught wind of a rumour about him regretting his separation and wanting to get back with Ségolène Royal. She certainly suggested as much.

Meanwhile, he was more committed than ever, and was very insistent about wanting me to bear his child.

Anything is possible, including that Ségolène Royal was telling the truth.

I now know how duplicitous François Hollande can be.

François missed his children. He had not seen them in months and they collectively refused to see him as long as he stayed with me. I did not want to be responsible for this estrangement.

Nothing is more important in my eyes than children. I have shared custody of my three boys and I miss them half of the week. So I told François that I was willing to try for a baby with him, but only once he had rekindled his relationship with his children.

François did reconcile with his children but nature did not give us the child he had been dreaming of since we met. It is probably for the best.

Not long ago, I read a book about François Hollande in which he told the author that he had never wanted

He was the king of doublespeak, ambiguity and perpetual lies

a child with me. I was mortified. He then justified himself to me by saying: “I wasn’t about to share our intimacy.”

One more lie, and possibly the most hurtful he could ever have uttered.

2014, after the very public break-up of Hollande and Trierweiler Late afternoon on Rue Cauchy; spring is only a few days away. I am home, just like every day — or nearly — since I left the Élysée. I am working with my laptop on my knees. Earlier, I received a call from my former security officer, who has an envelope to deliver. He arrives within half an hour. It is a beautiful bouquet of white and pink roses — exactly what I like.

They are from François. He has not forgotten the date. This very morning he sent me a message: “Nine years ago, the kiss in Limoges.”

Barring the pictures of the president with his helmet on, Julie Gayet, the statement, the whole mad situation, yes, it would have been our nine-year anniversary. But our relationship died before it turned nine. Still, if our love had a name that would be it: “The Kiss in Limoges.” It is our very own legend.

It was a Thursday, April 14, 2005. That date will always mean something to me.

Nine years later I agreed to go to dinner with him — for the second time since our separation — despite the fact that there was no anniversary left to celebrate. We spent the evening in an Italian restaurant in our neighbourhood, where we used to go when we lived together. The president and the first lady were no more — there were no more grievances or recriminations, just a poignant mixture of joy and sadness. It felt like a huge waste. An irreparable waste.

François said he wished he had better protected our privacy. It certainly wasn’t for want of trying on my part: I fought a losing battle to preserve our intimacy. With him, nothing and no one was off limits.

I remember watching, aghast, as the president walked through our bedroom one evening with his PR adviser in tow.

They were headed for the bathroom, which would have been turned into a makeshift meeting room had I not intervened. I threw the PR adviser out, outraged by such a lack of boundaries.

His security officers would also sometimes slip in between us and join in our conversation.

I cannot remember how many times I had to ask them to give us a bit of space when we were out having a walk. When I reminded François during that bittersweet dinner that he always arbitrated against me when I tried to protect us, he admitted that he had been wrong: “I should have listened to you and understood what mattered.”

But back to the Kiss in Limoges — a long story I have to erase from my memory. It all started with a quarrel. One morning I found out that François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy were coming to Paris Match to get their picture taken together for the cover of the magazine. They were also doing a joint interview ahead of the

Valérie Trierweiler an left, with Fran Hollande, celebrating hi victory in 2012

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times2

Ségolène Royal and François Hollande, then Socialist party leader, in 2005 I hung up on him. This went on for several days. His press officer took over. I was stunned by how personal the conversation was: “Valérie, have you still not noticed that Hollande is madly in love with you? Talk to him, I’ve never seen him this unhappy.”

I knew he was attracted to me, we had an undeniable bond, a very special friendship, a bit too close, deliciously borderline at times. But love? No. It seemed absurd. Forbidden.

What she said came as a shock.

I couldn’t say a word. A week went by without any contact between him and me. The situation was becoming difficult to manage. I was on the brink of asking to be taken off coverage of the Socialist party. In the end, though, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

I eventually agreed to a reconciliatory lunch. We spoke for hours and he

Betrayal was already on the cards, even back then

referendum on the European constitution. I was dumbfounded.

No one had told me. More specifically, neither my editor-in-chief nor Hollande had breathed a word about it to me. I had heard that the latter was frustrated at me for not going on a business trip to Lebanon with him but to do a photo and interview of such scope with the newspaper I worked for without mentioning it to me when we were so close was unthinkable!

Hollande’s press officer called me: “Valérie, what do you think you’re doing making him do this? It’s complete madness. A picture with Sarkozy, no less!” I explained I had absolutely nothing to do with it and had only just found out myself. She asked me to convince him to change his mind. But when I called he sent me packing: “You should have woken up

earlier.” For the life of me I could not fathom why he was reacting this way, and his strategy confused me even further. Appearing alongside his number one political rival would do him no favours — especially when those who opposed the European treaty were already accusing him of colluding with him.

I packed up and left the magazine before he arrived. Tears clouded my vision as I sped down the motorway on my way home. I was baffled by my own tears. Were they the tears of a journalist who has just had her story “stolen” or those of a woman who feels betrayed? Betrayal was already on the cards, even back then. I would later learn that he had asked for a tour of the magazine’s offices, including the canteen — in hopes of bumping into me.

He tried to call me the next day but

© Valérie Trierweiler 2014. Extracted from Thank You for This Moment, published by Biteback tomorrow at £18.99. Available from the Times Bookshop for £15.99, call 0845 2712134 or go to timesbooks.co.uk.

Valérie Trierweiler will be signing copies of Thank You for This Moment at Hatchards, 187 Piccadilly, London W1 tomorrow from 12.30pm

ended up missing the train he was supposed to take that afternoon.

One week later I agreed to accompany him on a business trip.

We left Paris after lunch. I sat to his right in the back seat of the car. He wasn’t his usual self, less jokey. There were silences between us and a certain gravitas. As François Hollande’s loyal driver sped on, Hollande inched closer and took my hand. I was ill at ease but did not claim my hand back. A voice inside me whispered: “You are mad.

It’s not too late to stop, take your hand back.” But I did nothing of the sort.

We talked politics, discussing the harm that the Paris Match cover with Sarkozy had done. When we arrived we acted as if nothing had happened.

Hollande’s meeting went well, he was as bright and funny as usual.

He argued in favour of a yes vote in the EU referendum. We were on the same page. I felt confident about the outcome at the polling stations in December, but he was sceptical.

Afterwards, we got back on the road.

My hotel was in Limoges. Hollande had to push on until Tulle. He took my hand in the car again. Hollande asked if I would come with him to Tulle.

I said I couldn’t, I had to leave very early the next morning for a meeting in Paris. Besides, I knew what “come to Tulle with me” meant.

We weren’t ready to say goodbye so we went to a café. He had a waffle and I had a crêpe, which we both washed down with a glass of wine. We spoke about our relationship for the first time. Our attraction to each other.

It was all implied, nothing was said outright — as is his way. His tacit message was that he wasn’t interested in a fling: he intimated that he had real feelings. I confessed I was hardly indifferent either, adding that a relationship was out of the question, it was too dangerous for both of us. Simply impossible. Neither of us were free.

He had to get back on the road to Tulle. When it came to saying our goodbyes, everything between us changed dramatically without either of us fully grasping what was happening. What passed between us in that moment is indescribable, it was like a scene from a film. A kiss like no other kiss I’d ever shared with anyone.

A kiss that had been held back for nearly 15 years, in the middle of a crossroads. François did not drive back to Tulle that evening. He came with me to the station very early the next morning. We had just experienced a unique moment — and yet I struggled to call him by his first name or even simply to use the familiar “tu” when addressing him. A halo of modesty separated us once again.

Many people share with me their break-up stories and how they were cheated on. They tell me they think I am very strong; sometimes they go as far as describing the change they see in me as a “metamorphosis”.

But the strength people see in me is just a front. I have been medicated for four months. As a prominent psychiatrist put it: “I have rarely witnessed such a violent shock.”

As days go by, my anger against François grows: how could he have made such a mess of everything? Our relationship and the start of his fiveyear term. That question keeps going around and around in my head. He has written to me to explain himself: “I was lost and I lost myself.” Not a day goes by without him begging for my forgiveness and asking me to start over. I cannot do it, even if I wanted to. The pain I went through was too strong. As strong as the love I bore him. Until our separation I was in love with him, wildly so, I would have done anything for him to look at me, to compliment me, to be thoughtful and attentive to me. I was “crazy in love”, as they say. As time went by I was just crazy. His unfaithfulness broke the spell. I loved him too much.

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

arts

Meet Milos, the Montenegrin pin-up with plenty of pluck Richard Morrison talks to the young Balkan musician who can fill the Albert Hall with his romantic guitar playing

A

t a fashionable watering hole on the Kings Road, west London, a dark, handsome young man sips a morning coffee. He looks as if he’s come straight out of the TV series Made in Chelsea.

In fact he was made in Montenegro.

“Are you now the most famous living Montenegrin?” I ask Milos Karadaglic.

He grins. “Technically, Marina Abramovic [the great performance artist] is Montenegrin,” he says, “but of Montenegrins actually born and raised in Montenegro I guess I am, yes. As you know, however, classical-music fame is a bit different from pop fame.”

True. Yet after selling hundreds of thousands of albums in the three years he has been on a Deutsche

Grammophon contract — and wooing 4,000 people to his Royal Albert Hall debut concert — Milos (the Karadaglic bit has been cannily dropped from all his marketing material) is fast becoming that rarest of creatures: a classical virtuoso who has attracted a pop-proportioned following without compromising his artistic integrity.

Even more surprising, he has done it on that quietest and most intimate of instruments, the classical guitar.

Not that he regards his instrument as limiting. “As Segovia told us, the guitar is a whole orchestra,” he says.

“It can produce any sound or convey any emotion you can imagine. And it can play music from any era.

In my recitals I like to do a huge arch — from John Dowland, Bach and French baroque music to modern composers.

I love it best, though, when the guitar sounds like a human voice, when you create a lyrical line that has warmth and a singing quality. To carry that line through the polyphony of the instrument is the most beautiful thing a guitarist can do.”

Surely, though, there PETER CRANE

are huge psychological as well as acoustical challenges when projecting so intimate an instrument into vast spaces such as the Albert Hall or Carnegie Hall in New York? “You know that saying: the quieter you speak, the more people listen?” Milos replies. “There are no limitations as to where you play and how many people you play to because for each situation you change yourself. I have always been excited by not being in my comfort zone. Playing a guitar in a 100-seat room with a perfect acoustic is one thing. You can focus on the tiniest details. When you take the guitar to the Albert Hall and amplify it and play for 4,000 people, you draw on a different aesthetic. And it’s different again in an underground nightclub with trains going overhead. ni You adjust and that adjustment is what makes you the artist you are.”

Milos was born and raised in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, shielded from, but aware of, the wars going on as Yugoslavia disintegrated. A musical family?

“No,” he smiles.

“Both my parents are economists. So is my uncle. And my brother. They all have proper jobs.” So he is

the black sheep? “Well, I would rather think I am the one who has given the family another dimension,” he says. “My parents were, and still are, amazingly supportive. They taught me to believe in my instincts.”

It surely wasn’t hard to believe in Milos’s instincts on the guitar, which he took up at eight. He was a prodigy from the start. “I always needed much less time than anyone else,” he says. “I never had trouble with speed or agility.

For me it was literally child’s play.”

He maintains that it was an advantage to be learning the classical guitar in Montenegro, a country without any particular tradition of the instrument.

“There was no atmosphere of competition.That was beneficial because it gave me the feeling that you play to express yourself: you never compare yourself with others.”

At 17 he sent a tape of his playing to the Royal Academy of Music and his life changed for ever. From 2000 to 2008 he was a student, then a junior fellow, at the London conservatoire.

“It is so comfortable being in Montenegro,” he says. “There are only 700,000 people in the whole country, so we are all linked with each other, one way or another, but I knew I had to come to London, the centre of the world, to become who I wanted to be.

When I arrived I was a talented but unpolished teenager. When I left I had the tools to be an artist.”

Milos admits that his albums so far

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arts ballet scores for Covent Garden”).

“It’s true that major modern classical composers usually don’t know the technical possibilities of the guitar,” he says. “I’ve found, however, that they are really open to learning about those possibilities. And I’m really excited that we live in a time when composers don’t feel obliged to write in a certain style, that personality has been allowed to surface again.”

With his treasured guitar — handmade by the Australian luthier Greg Smallman (“it’s my perfect partner in crime”) — Milos now gives 100 concerts a year around the world. He says he loves the travelling. “When I was a small boy in Montenegro I would look at the planes passing over and say: ‘Wherever that plane is going, I want to go.’ Now I do.”

I had no trouble with speed or agility. Literally, it was child’s play

have mostly been of standard classicalguitar repertoire and in his three concerts in Britain this week he is playing the only guitar concerto that everyone knows: Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. “You cannot introduce yourself to the world by playing the Tippett Sonata,” he says drily. “You have to build from the foundations. So I have started with the most popular

repertoire, the pieces that made me fall in love with the classical guitar.

Now I want to use them to make other people fall in love with it.”

In future years, however, Milos has plans to become the Rostropovich of the classical guitar, commissioning so many new pieces that he will virtually reinvent the repertoire. “My dream,” he says, “is to premiere the Rodrigo

Classical guitarist Milos and, left, at the 2011 Gramophone Awards

Concerto of the 21st century, the one that changes the game for ever.”

He declines to speculate on who might write such a masterpiece, but later he talks excitedly about recent music he has heard by the likes of Jennifer Higdon (“that amazing violin concerto for Hilary Hahn”), Korean composer Unsuk Chin and British composer Joby Talbot (“those lovely

The suitcase lifestyle has one downside, however: he has no partner.

Not that he sees this as a handicap.

“I am a world traveller. I think it would be torture to be in a proper long-term relationship. And I am young. There will be a time when these things come more naturally.”

Instead he pours his passion into his playing and into charity work. In particular he supports Awards for Young Musicians, which provides instruments for outstanding talents from lower-income families. “It’s a cause close to my heart because this guitar was given to me by someone who was generous and amazing and is now one of my closest friends,” he says.

I comment that he seems so calm.

He laughs. “When I play it’s very different, very emotional I hope. In life, though, I feel that in order to climb the highest mountain you need to have your feet firmly on the ground.”

Milos plays the Rodrigo Concerto with the Brussels Philharmonic at Cadogan Hall, SW1 (Wed), Colston Hall, Bristol (Thur) and Usher Hall, Edinburgh (Sun)

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

Register Obituaries

Marion Barry

Civil rights campaigner who served four terms as mayor of Washington but who was jailed for possession of cocaine after an FBI sting TIM SLOAN/AFP/GETTY

The film, dim and grainy, showed Marion Barry, the flamboyant but highly controversial black mayor of Washington DC, lying on a bed in a seventhfloor room of the Vista International hotel in the US capital.

From time to time he fondled the woman lying next to him. At one point he asked her: “Can we make love before you leave?” Later she produced a small amount of cocaine. They argued about who should use it first. Finally Barry took a couple of drags from the pipe.

Moments later, FBI agents burst in to the room, pushed Barry against a wall and handcuffed him. “Bitch set me up,” he muttered.

The date was January 18, 1990, and Barry’s arrest caused a sensation. To his detractors he was a shameless crook who had helped turn Washington into the drugs and murder capital of America. To his supporters he was an inspirational civil rights leader who had championed the city’s downtrodden black majority and been framed by the white establishment.

Barry was certainly the victim of a sting operation. The woman was Hazel Diane “Rasheed” Moore, a former lover

‘He abandoned studies for a chemistry PhD to campaign for civil rights’ and model who had agreed to help the FBI. Their meeting was recorded by three cameras, one in the bed’s headboard. Barry spent six months in prison, and his political career was widely presumed to have been destroyed, but those who wrote him off underestimated his astonishing ability to turn his personal failings to his advantage — to use them to curry support among poor, black voters who considered both him and themselves to be victims of racial conspiracies.

Barry went on to win a fourth term as mayor in one of the more remarkable political comebacks of modern times.

“Get over it,” he famously told his critics after he recaptured City Hall. But that last term saw congress seize most of the powers of a council it condemned as incompetent and corrupt, undermining Barry’s claim to have empowered the city’s black majority.

Although he remained a councillor until his death, he continued to experience problems with drugs, alcohol and women, had several brushes with the law, and was twice censured for misconduct by the council. He was separated from his fourth wife, having divorced the first three, and his one son, Marion Christopher Barry, was convicted of drug possession.

Barry was born in the Mississippi Delta in 1936, the son of a sharecropper who had married his mother when she was 16. His father died when he was four, and his mother moved to Memphis where she worked as a maid. He worked hard and won a place at LeMoyne College where he became interested in the emerging civil rights movement. While studying for a master’s degree at Fisk University in Nashville he organised sit-ins against segregation, met Martin Luther King and helped set up the Student NonViolent Co-ordinating Committee, be-

Marion Barry’s record as mayor of Washington was tarnished by corruption. He was filmed, below, taking drugs by the FBI

elected in 1992, but the council was soon running up large deficits. Crime and unemployment were rising. His administration was hit by a series of scandals, but Barry lived in style. He went around the capital in a chauffeur-driven Lincoln Town Car with his handpicked security detail. He was seen with attractive women. He enjoyed Caribbean holidays, attended prize fights in Las Vegas and met African heads of state.

He returned with the Washington Redskins after they won the 1983 Superbowl and was first off the charter plane at Dulles airport where President Reagan was waiting to meet them.

Quoting Kipling, he boasted that he could “talk to kings” without losing “the common touch”.

By 1986 his dominance of local politics was so absolute that he faced only token opposition in his third election campaign, but the city was in a desper-

‘His fourth term was a disaster. He was stripped of most of his powers’ coming its national chairman. He abandoned a PhD in chemistry to work for the committee, and moved to Washington with his first wife, Blantie Evans.

There he campaigned — aggressively and successfully — for home rule for a black-majority city that was still governed by congress and which he called a “plantation”.

Barry won a seat on Washington’s first elected council in 1974 and four years later defeated Walter Washington, the incumbent mayor. He was endorsed by the Washington Post, which praised his “energy, nerve, initiative, toughness of mind and active concern for people in distress”. It also helped that he had been shot and wounded the

previous year when a sect called the Hanafi Muslims attacked City Hall. He carried the white wards while his two opponents split the black vote.

Barry was sworn in by Thurgood Marshall, the first black Supreme Court justice, and became the first prominent civil rights leader to run a major American city. He started well. Charismatic, powerfully built and smartly dressed, he restored a semblance of order to the city’s chaotic finances; he also improved some services, helped minorityowned firms win council contracts and employed blacks in management positions previously reserved for whites.

Washington briefly boomed, but the good times did not last. Barry was re-

ate state. Its payroll was bloated by thousands of the mayor’s supporters.

Contracts were going to firms that backed him financially. The capital was deeply in debt. Municipal services were collapsing and whites were fleeing to the suburbs. Then, in 1987, the crack epidemic erupted.

Rumours about Barry’s own drug abuse were by this time rife. He was regularly seen in night clubs and at parties.

His speech was sometimes slurred. Appearances were cancelled abruptly, and his schedule often did not start until late morning. A former lover, Karin Johnson, was convicted of cocaine possession and contempt of court after she refused to testify about Barry’s drug

habit. The FBI began taking an interest after several of his associates were charged with drug offences, and used Moore, another former lover, to entrap him. Ultimately the “sting” backfired.

Barry expressed contrition, underwent a seven-week rehabilitation course and abandoned his bid for a fourth term. An overwhelmingly black jury convicted him on one charge of cocaine possession, but acquitted him of a second charge and was unable to reach a decision on 12 others. It was a victory for the mayor.

Barry began his sentence in a minimum-security prison in Virginia, but was moved to a medium-security prison in Pennsylvania after a female visitor was reported to have performed oral sex on him in the family reception room. He was released in 1992, escorted back to Washington by six coachloads of cheering supporters, and immediately began campaigning for re-election to the council from Ward 8 — the poorest and most deprived in the city. Two years later he ran for mayor again.

“Who can better help our city recover than someone who has himself gone through recovery?”, he declared during the campaign. “Amazing grace, how sweet it sounds to save a wretch like me!,” he crowed when he won.

He married his campaign communications director, Cora Masters, having divorced his third wife, Effi Barry, and Maya Angelou read a poem — how “strong men . . . get stronger” — at his inauguration. But his fourth term was a disaster. The city was almost bankrupt and, within months, congress established a financial control board to take charge of its spending.

Later, it stripped Barry of much of his remaining power in what he called a “rape of democracy”. Bowing to the inevitable, he did not run for a fifth term in 1998. After quarter of a century his dominance of the city’s political landscape was over.

He had to abandon a 2002 bid for a council seat after police found traces of cocaine in his car. Ward 8 re-elected him in 2004 and 2008, but the council twice censured him, for giving a consulting contract to yet another former girlfriend and for accepting cash gifts from city contractors. He separated from Masters, and was briefly charged with stalking an ex-girlfriend.

He was sentenced to a period of community service after being found guilty of harassing a female janitor in an airport toilet. He fought a running battle with the tax authorities and pleaded guilty to two misdemeanours. Earlier this year, after a minor accident, it was revealed that he owed $2,800 for speeding and parking fines.

He continued to struggle with drug and alcohol addiction, and his health deteriorated sharply. He battled prostate cancer, underwent a kidney transplant in 2009, and suffered from diabetes, anaemia and high blood-pressure.

He checked himself into hospital last Thursday, was released on Saturday, and died that night, a sorry shadow of the brave and idealistic young man he had once been.

Marion Barry, former mayor of Washington DC, was born on March 6, 1936, and died on November 22, 2014, aged 78

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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Register

David Mackay

Lives remembered

Pioneering British architect and urban designer who masterminded the regeneration of Barcelona

David Mackay could claim to have “given back the sea” to the people of Barcelona and in doing so transformed the metropolis into one of the most popular cities in the world.

In the 1980s the city was in economic decline and its untapped potential was symbolised by the uncompleted cathedral designed by its most famous son, Antoni Gaudi. The architect and urban designer David Mackay took up the baton from the great Catalan modernist and masterminded the project to regenerate the city’s industrial wasteland into a vibrant waterfront of al fresco eateries and stylish apartments that would act as a legacy to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

The project was hugely influential on Britain’s urban renaissance and the percolation of a “cappuccino culture” into its city centres in the 1990s and 2000s.

Richard Rogers cited Barcelona as “perhaps the most interesting example of urban regeneration in the western world today”. Tourism in Barcelona boomed and while the influx of hen nights and stag parties that accompanied the arrival of low-cost airlines was not entirely welcomed by the people of Barcelona, they appreciated the money these revellers brought into the city.

Mackay saw the 1992 Games as an opportunity to open up Barcelona’s seafront, which was blocked by derelict industrial buildings, and turn the Athletes’ Village into a residential development overlooking five kilometres of new beachfront. The plan worked perfectly. The number of hotel beds in the

On the day Franco died Mackay uncorked a bottle of champagne city tripled to nearly 50,000 and some 70 restaurants sprang up along the Olympic marina. The architect Frank Gehry added a memorable flourish with his giant fish sculpture. Mackay and his wife Roser moved into one of the apartments and three of their six children also bought flats there.

When London started plotting its own Olympic bid based on a similar vision of creating an urban legacy for a rundown part of the city, Mackay was one of the first people to whom Sebastian Coe and his team turned for advice.

Mackay had married a Catalan woman and moved to the city in 1955; he was one of only a few Britons living in Barcelona. He teamed up with two local architects, Josep Martorell and Oriol Bohigas, and their practice, MBM, designed modernist schemes that were somewhat at odds with the traditional aesthetic of General Franco’s regime.

Years later the practice designed acclaimed public schemes for Pasquale Maragall, the left-wing mayor, and in 1986 when Barcelona won the bid to host the 1992 Olympics Maragall turned to MBM to come up with an urban vision for the Games. Mackay had deeply impressed Maragall, and bemused just about everyone else in Barcelona as one of the only people to ride a bicycle around the city, and certainly the only one to wear a cycle helmet. He epitomised the Noël Coward song Mad Dogs and Englishmen as, elegantly dressed, he pedalled the city streets on hot summer days. However, to the mayor Mackay personified the exact progression that he wanted to see.

Maragall may also have been impressed by Mackay’s contribution to the underground resistance in Barcelona during Franco’s dictatorship. A man of the left, Mackay carried messages between political dissidents and helped to set up clandestine meetings. Franco’s

Sir Christopher Staughton SIMON BRUTY/GETTY

His Honour Charles Gibson writes: Sir Christopher Staugton’s (obituary, Nov 17) distaste for circumlocutions is well illustrated by his response one day at the start of the afternoon session. When asked by counsel “has your Lordship by any chance had the opportunity to read the authority I supplied to your Lordship before the short adjournment?”, he replied tersely: “Had the opportunity.

Didn’t take it.”

Although I sat two tiers below Sir Christopher in the hierarchy I managed to use this every so often, always being scrupulous to acknowledge its origin.

Anthony Connerty writes: Some years ago I was instructed as counsel in a case in which Sir Christopher Staughton had brought proceedings against a firm of chartered surveyors. The case came on for hearing in a London court. Sir Christopher — then on the bench — indicated that he wished me to crossexamine a particular witness. When the cross-examination finished he leaned forward over a few rows in the court room and said — not quite sotto voce — “Bloody good show”.

Mike Nichols

The city of Barcelona, revitalised by David Mackay, below, provided an inspirational backdrop to the 1992 Olympic Games

authorities never suspected the gentle Briton who spoke slightly impenetrable Spanish with a south coast burr. Mackay also filed secret reports on these anti-regime activities to The Times and the BBC. He was never caught.

When Mackay first moved to the city with his fiancée, her uncle — a Catholic priest — was required to chaperone the young couple on their dates. In wedlock, Mackay was able to introduce his young children to the music of the Beatles, but little else of the decade’s social revolution reached Barcelona. It was an oppressive atmosphere for a man who his daughter Monica remembers even into old age as more modern than any of his children. On the day that Franco died in November 1975 Mackay uncorked a bottle of champagne. He later founded Amnesty International in Spain.

Mackay spent more time in Britain in later years after being commissioned to bring the Barcelona magic to several British urban areas, including Cardiff Bay, Hastings and Bexhill, Glasgow

and the Lower Lea Valley in London.

His greatest success at creating a “British Barcelona” was his plan to transform disused docks in Plymouth into new homes, restaurants and shops.

Mackay’s vision for Plymouth included a boulevard to connect the docks to the city centre. He chaired a design panel to scrutinise a project for residential towers aimed at reviving a city centre that was deserted after the shops closed at 6pm. The success of the project was illustrated by the fact that Plymouth regularly sits near the top of polls for the best places to live in Britain.

Generally though, Mackay disliked working in Britain because of what he perceived as its lack of long-term planning and civic leadership. He liked to quote DH Lawrence, who wrote: “The English are town birds through and through. Yet they don’t know how to build a city, how to think of one, or how to live in one. They are all suburban, pseudo-cottages, and not one of them knows how to be truly urban. The English may be mentally and spiritually developed; but as citizens of splendid cities they are more ignominious than rabbits.”

He disliked working in Britain because of its lack of civic leadership David Mackay was born in Eastbourne in 1933 into a family with Irish roots. His father ran a ranch in South America and Mackay spent much of his childhood in boarding schools. He had very poor eyesight and at the age of seven, when finally prescribed the right pair of glasses, he realised that all the buildings around him were actually upright. He decided there and then to become an architect.

As a student of the discipline at

Northern Polytechnic in London (now London Metropolitan University) he was walking down the stairwell of the halls of residence when he noticed a young Catalan woman working as a cleaner. He would often stop and help her with the cleaning and romance blossomed. They married and had six children. John is the director of a school of languages in Barcelona; Anna is a teacher; Martha works in a company running food markets in Barcelona; Sonia is a biologist and artist; Monica is a conference organiser and Mark is the director of a hotel in Barcelona.

The intensity of Mackay’s work in Barcelona before the Games took a toll on his health; in the early 1990s he had heart surgery and lived with a heart condition for the rest of his life. His last major building, the Design Museum in Barcelona, is set to open officially in December.

Mackay won the Riba royal gold medal, Britain’s highest architectural award, in 1999 and wrote the well-received books, A Life in Cities (2009) and On Life and Architecture (2013). Much in demand on the architecture lecture circuit, he never failed to speak entertainingly about urbanism, moving effortlessly from philosophy to literature, art, history and social science. “He hated the idea of barriers in cities and was always thinking about how people would walk, talk or sit in any spaces he was designing,” said Monica. “He was in love with cities.”

His hand could be traced on many projects, but he was always associated with “putting Barcelona on the map” and winning new admirers in Britain, many of whom had only known it as the birthplace of Manuel, a hapless waiter at a chaotic Torquay hotel.

David Mackay, architect, was born on December 25, 1933. He died on November 11, 2014, aged 80

Neville Shulman writes: I was working with Twiggy in 1983 and she was starring with Tommy Tune the choreographer in the musical My One And Only. Its preBroadway run was staged at the Colonial Theatre in Boston and was directed

by Peter Sellars, the opera and stage enfant terrible.

The show was floundering badly and seemed very likely to close so Sellars was fired and Mike Nichols (obituary, Nov 21) was flown in to take charge.

Nichols saw immediately the show’s potential and, making major cuts, revitalised it. When it came into Broadway to the St James Theatre it proved a huge success and ran for two years.

Rodney Fitch Will Wyatt writes: Rodney Fitch (obituary, Nov 15) was generous with his time to a number of artistic institutions, among them the V&A Museum, where he was a long- time board member, and then the vigorous chair of V&A Enterprises. He was also deputy chair of the London Institute.

His last public outing just 10 days before he died was when it was his turn to host a Savile Club wine lovers’ dinner. The form was to provide and describe half a dozen wines from his own cellar, over which Rodney took his usual care, concluding with a very old Oloroso sherry which he proposed as the perfect accompaniment to manchego cheese and quince paste.

He will be remembered for parties large and small in his various homes, parties with surprises, parties with games, parties with fireworks, always parties with good food and wine.

If you would like to add a personal @ view or recollection to a published

obituary, you can send your contribution to tributes@thetimes.co.uk

44

FGM

Monday November 24 2014 | the times

Television & Radio/Announcements Births, Marriages and Deaths

Today’s television BBC ONE

11.00 Jamie’s Comfort Food 11.30 Come Dine with Me 12.00 Channel 4 News Summary 12.05pm Come Dine with Me 2.10 Countdown 3.00 Fifteen to One 4.00 Deal or No Deal 5.00 Come Dine with Me 5.30 Coach Trip 6.00 The Simpsons 6.30 Hollyoaks 7.00 Channel 4 News 7.55 Turner Prize at 30 8.00 How to Break Into Britain: Channel 4 Dispatches 8.30 Sarah Beeny’s How to Sell Your Home 9.00 Skint 10.00 8 Out of 10 Cats 10.45 Toast of London 11.20 The IT Crowd 11.50 NFL: The American Football Show 12.50am Love & Adventure 1.20 FILM: The Square Circle (1996) Musical drama 3.15 Phil: Secret Agent Down Under 4.10 Location, Location, Location 5.05 Win It Cook It 5.35-6.20 Countdown

BBC TWO

Sky1

6.00am Breakfast 9.15 Don’t Mess with Me 10.00 Homes Under the Hammer 11.00 Claimed and Shamed 11.30 Channel Patrol 12.15pm Bargain Hunt 1.00 BBC News 1.30 BBC Regional News 1.45 Doctors 2.15 The Doctor Blake Mysteries 3.10 Escape to the Country 3.40 Glorious Gardens from Above 4.25 Flog It! 5.15 Pointless 6.00 BBC News 6.30 BBC Regional News 7.00 The One Show 7.30 Fake Britain 8.00 EastEnders 8.30 Did the Bank Wreck My Business?

Panorama 9.00 New Tricks 10.00 BBC News 10.25 BBC Regional News; Weather 10.35 Have I Got a Bit More News for You 11.20 Citizen Khan 11.50 The Graham Norton Show 12.40am-6.00 BBC News 6.05am Homes Under the Hammer 7.05 Call the Council 7.50 Don’t Get Done, Get Dom 8.20 Sign Zone 10.35 Click 11.00 BBC News 11.30 BBC World News 12.00 Daily Politics 1.00pm The A to Z of TV Gardening 1.10 Life in the Undergrowth 2.10 The Great British Bake Off 3.10 A Place to Call Home 3.55 The Rockford Files 4.45 Great British Railway Journeys 5.15 Vintage Antiques Roadshow 6.00 Eggheads 6.30 Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 7.00 Tom Kerridge’s Best Ever Dishes 7.30 Children’s Hospital: The Chaplains 8.00 University Challenge 8.30 Only Connect 9.00 Posh People: Inside Tatler 10.00 Never Mind the Buzzcocks 10.30 Newsnight 11.20 Great Continental Railway Journeys 12.20am-1.20 Sign Zone 4.00-6.05 BBC Learning Zone

6.00am The Real A&E 7.00 Greggs: More Than Meats the Pie 8.00 Futurama 9.00 NCIS: Los Angeles 11.00 Hawaii Five-0 1.00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 3.00 Obese: A Year to Save My Life USA 4.00 Greggs: More Than Meats the Pie 5.00 The Simpsons 5.30 Futurama 6.30 The Simpsons 8.00 Modern Family 8.30 Trollied 9.00 Micky Flanagan’s Detour de France 10.00 Arrow 11.00 NCIS: Los Angeles 1.00am Hawaii Five-0 3.00 NCIS: Los Angeles 4.00 Stargate Atlantis 5.00-6.00 Airline USA

BBC World

6.20am The King of Queens 7.10 3rd Rock from the Sun 8.00 Everybody Loves Raymond 9.00 Frasier 10.00 Daily Brunch

6.00am BBC World News 6.30 World Business Report 6.45 BBC World News 7.30 World Business Report 7.45 BBC World News 8.30 World Business Report 8.45 BBC World News 9.30 HARDtalk 10.00 BBC World News 10.30 World Business Report 10.45 Sport Today 11.00 BBC World News 12.00 GMT 1.00pm Impact 2.30 World Business Report 2.45 Sport Today 3.00 Global with Matthew Amroliwala 4.30 HARDtalk 5.00 Outside Source 5.30 Focus on Africa 6.00 Outside Source 6.30 World Business Report 6.45 Sport Today 7.00 World News Today 8.30 World Business Report 8.45 Sport Today 9.00 Business Edition with Tanya Beckett 9.30 HARDtalk 10.00 BBC World News America 11.00 Newsday 11.30 Asia Business Report 11.45 Sport Today 12.00 Newsday 12.30am Asia Business Report 12.45 Sport Today 1.00 Newsday 1.30 Asia Business Report 1.45 Sport Today 2.00 BBC World News 2.30 Asia Business Report 2.45 Sport Today 3.00 BBC World News 3.30 Asia Business Report 3.45 Sport Today 4.00 BBC World News 4.30 HARDtalk 5.00 BBC World News 5.30 World Business Report 5.45-6.00 BBC World News

Radio 4

BBC World Service

ITV London

6.00am Good Morning Britain 8.30 Lorraine 9.25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 10.30 This Morning 12.30pm Loose Women 1.30 ITV News; Weather 2.00 Peter Andre’s 60 Minute Makeover 3.00 Secret Dealers 4.00 Tipping Point 5.00 The Chase 6.00 Regional News 6.30 ITV News; Weather 7.00 Emmerdale 7.30 Coronation Street 8.00 Countrywise 8.30 Coronation Street 9.00 I’m a Celebrity. . .

Get Me Out of Here! 10.00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 10.40 The Agenda 11.20 The Jonathan Ross Show 12.20am Jackpot247 3.00 Uefa Champions League Weekly 3.25 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 4.10 ITV Nightscreen 5.05-6.00 The Jeremy Kyle Show

Channel 4

Today’s radio 5.30am News 5.43 Prayer for the Day 5.45 Farming Today 5.58 Tweet of the Day 6.00 Today 9.00 Start the Week 9.45 (LW) Daily Service 9.45 Book of the Week 10.00 Woman’s Hour 11.00 Lives in a Landscape 11.30 Start/Stop 12.00 News 12.01pm (LW) Shipping 12.04 A History of Ideas 12.15 You and Yours 1.00 The World at One 1.45 Terror Through Time 2.00 The Archers (r) 2.15 Afternoon Drama (r) 3.00 Counterpoint 3.30 The Food Programme (r) 4.00 The Still Life Poet 4.30 Beyond Belief 5.00 PM 5.54 (LW) Shipping 6.00 News 6.30 I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue 7.00 The Archers 7.15 Front Row 7.45 Syria: Bread and Bombs 8.00 The Meaning of Mongol 8.30 Crossing Continents (r) 9.00 Shared Planet (r) 9.30 Start the Week 10.00 The World Tonight 10.45 Book at Bedtime: In Love and War 11.00 Mastertapes 11.30 Today in Parliament 12.30am Book of the Week (r) 12.48 Shipping 1.00 As BBC World Service 5.20-5.30 Shipping

5.00am Newsday 8.30 Business Daily 8.50 Witness 9.00 News 9.06 The Arts Hour 10.00 World Update 11.00 News 11.06 Outside Source 12.00 News 12.06pm Outlook 1.00 News 1.06 HARDtalk 1.30 The Food Chain 2.00 Newshour 3.00 News 3.06 Business Daily 3.23 News About Ebola 3.30 Sport Today 4.00 The Newsroom 4.30 The Conversation 5.00 The Newsroom 5.30 World Business Report 6.00 World Have Your Say 6.50 News About Ebola 7.00 The Newsroom 7.30 Discovery. Insights from leading scientific figures 8.00 News 8.06 HARDtalk 8.30 The Conversation 9.00 Newshour.

The stories behind the latest headlines 10.00 The Newsroom 10.30 World Business Report.

Financial news 11.00 News 11.06 Outlook 12.00 News 12.06am The Newsroom 12.20 Sports News 12.30 Discovery 1.00 News 1.06 Business Matters 2.00 The Newsroom 2.30 The Documentary 3.00 News 3.06 Outlook 4.00 Newsday 4.30-5.00 Discovery

Sky Sports 1

6.00am Football Gold 7.00 WWE: Bottom Line 8.00 Goals on Sunday 9.00 Ford Football Special 10.30 Football’s Greatest Teams 11.00 SPFL Highlights 12.00 The Club That Vanished 1.00pm FL72 Review 2.00 Goals on Sunday 3.00 Ford Football Special 4.30 Fantasy Football: The Highlights 5.00 Soccer AM: The Best Bits 6.00 FL72 Review 7.00 Live Ford Monday Night Football: Aston Villa v Southampton (Kick-off 8.00).

The Premier League match at Villa Park 11.00 Formula 1 12.00 SPFL Round-Up 12.30am FL72 Review 1.30 Ford Monday Night Football 4.00 SPFL Round-Up 4.30 FL72 Review 5.30-6.00 Football Gold

Sky Sports 2

6.00am Cricket Classics 7.00 Sporting Heroes: Gary Newbon Interviews Joel Garner 8.00 One-Day International Cricket 9.00 NFL 11.00 Sporting Rivalries 12.00 One-Day International Cricket 1.00pm NFL 3.00 One-Day International Cricket 4.00 Cricket Classics 5.00 WWE: Raw 7.00 One-Day International Cricket 8.00 NFL 10.00 One-Day International Cricket 11.00 Poker 12.00 NFL 2.00am Poker 3.00 NFL 5.006.00 One-Day International Cricket

Sky Sports 3

6.00am Time of Our Lives 7.00 Alpari World Match Racing Tour 8.00 Sporting Greats 8.30 PRO12 Rugby Union 11.00 Racing News 11.30 Rise as One 12.00 The Sky Sports Years 1.00pm Weber Cup Ten Pin Bowling 2.00 Sporting Heroes: Alec Stewart Interviews John Hollins 3.00 The Sky Sports Years 4.00 Game Changers 5.00 Fishing in the Footsteps of Mr Crabtree 6.00 Sporting Heroes: Denise Lewis Interviews Mary Peters 7.00 Sporting Greats 7.30 Kiteboarding 8.00 Tour de France a La Voile 9.00 Weber Cup Ten Pin Bowling 10.00 WWE: Late Night — Bottom Line 11.00 WWE: Late Night — Afterburn 12.00 WWE: NXT 1.00am Live WWE: Late Night — Raw. Wrestling coverage from the States 4.15 WWE From the Vault 4.30 Weber Cup Ten Pin Bowling 5.30-6.00 Kiteboarding

British Eurosport

7.30am Snooker: Ruhr Open 8.30 Live Curling: Germany v Denmark 11.00 Alpine Skiing 1.00pm Live Curling: Scotland v Germany 4.00 Davis Cup Tennis 5.30 Eurogoals 6.15 NFL Round-Up 7.15 Snooker: Ruhr Open The final 9.15 Motorcycle Live Show 2014. Highlights 10.15 Eurogoals 11.00 NFL Round-Up 11.45-12.30am Ski Jumping

Radio 3

6.30am Breakfast 9.00 Essential Classics 12.00 Composer of the Week: Falla 1.00pm News 1.02 Live Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert. The Bennewitz Quartet plays Schulhoff’s Five Pieces for String Quartet and Schubert’s String Quartet in G, from Wigmore Hall 2.00 Afternoon on 3. Recent recordings by the Ulster Orchestra 4.30 In Tune. The soprano Ruby Hughes performs live 6.30 Composer of the Week: Falla (r) 7.30 Live Radio 3 in Concert. Cristian Macelaru conducts the Hallé in Dvorák’s Carnival Overture and Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, and Francesco Piemontesi is the soloist in Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto 10.00 Music and the Jews. The relationship between music and Jewish identity (r) 10.45 The Essay: Shaping the Air — Writers and Radio. Five perspectives on the art of radio 11.00 Jazz on 3. Berlin trios Hyperactive Kid and Starlight in concert at the 2014 London Jazz Festival 12.30am-6.30 Through the Night. With music by Handel (r)

thetimes.co.uk/announcements

the times | Monday November 24 2014

45

FGM

Games Sudoku No 6975

Bridge Andrew Robson

Word Watching Paul Dunn

The 40th annual Lords-Commons Dealer: South, Vulnerability: Neither match, sponsored as usual by Teams ♠ A 10 9 Stephen Perry of London Export, (Aggregate) ♥KQ 10 6 4 was won for the second year in ♦ 965 succession by the Commons, now ♣J 10 just 21-19 in arrears. ♠Q 8 5 3 ♠J 7 6 4 2 N It must be said that the majority ♥7 ♥9 3 W E of the Commons team were ex♦Q 10 7 2 ♦A K S ♣K 8 6 2 ♣Q 9 5 4 ♠ K Commoners, the earlier sitting hours in recent years have meant ♥A J 8 5 2 that Bridge has been somewhat in ♦J 8 4 3 decline amongst MPs in the House. ♣A 7 3 However Commons captain Bob S(Squire) W N(Mates) E Blackman is championing the 1♥ Pass 4♥ End cause of having Bridge recognised as a sport – with all the benefits Contract: 4♥ , Opening Lead: ♦K that such a move would create – and to push for more Bridge in towards the jack of diamonds schools.

And so say all of us – if the gov- would not now work – East would ernment had any idea just how rise with the queen and lead a club important Bridge is to the lives of to his partner’s queen.

Squire found the solution. He so many (yes – predominantly older) people, they would surely sit cashed the king of spades, drew trumps finishing in dummy, up and take more notice.

The Tony Berry Trophy for the cashed the ace of spades discardbest played hand was won by one ing a club, ruffed a third spade, of those ex-Commoners Robin then exited with a second club.

West won (perforce) with the Squire. Here is the deal: West led the king of diamonds v queen, but could only lead a black 4♥ (the unusual card from ♦AK card. Declarer discarded dummy’s to indicate a doubleton) and fol- remaining diamond and ruffed in hand. He’d avoided the third dialowed with the ace. What next?

If West switched to a spade or mond loser and could chalk up his heart, declarer could win, draw game.

There is a winning play for West trumps finishing in dummy and lead towards the jack of diamonds. East at trick three. He must switch to could win the queen and switch to a the queen of clubs. Try to make club, but declarer could win the ace 4♥ now?

Winning Commons Team: Bob and discard dummy’s other club on Archie Hamilton, the promoted jack of diamonds. 10 Blackman, Michael Mates, Robin Squire, tricks and game made.

Steve Barnett, Evan Harris, Squire received a low club Bridget Prentice, Duncan Brack, switch from West at trick three – Tony McWalter. andrew.robson@thetimes.co.uk to the king and ace. Leading

Boonie a. A peasant b. A hat c. A wading bird Lungi a. Groundnut oil b. A baton c. A loincloth Snag a. Unfortunate b. A sausage c. Recycled wool

On the Brink After games nine and ten of the Sochi world title match the situation of the challenger Viswanathan Anand had become critical.

Having missed that all important win in game six the former champion did well to restore his nerves and avoid an overall collapse.

However, his policy of retrenchment, which shielded him from further losses, did little to revive his match fortunes. With two games to go, Carlsen required just one point to clinch the championship in his favour.

White: Viswanathan Anand Black: Magnus Carlsen World Championship, Sochi (Game 10) Grünfeld Defence 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 Nf3 Bg7 5 Qb3 dxc4 6 Qxc4 0-0 7 e4 Na6 8 Be2 c5 9 d5 e6 10 0-0 exd5 11 exd5 Re8 12 Bg5 h6 13 Be3 Bf5 14 Rad1 Ne4 This is new. 14 ... Qb6 has been seen before.

15 Nxe4 Bxe4 16 Qc1 Qf6 17 Bxh6 Qxb2 18 Qxb2 Bxb2 19 Ng5 Bd4 20 Nxe4 Rxe4 21 Bf3 Re7 22 d6 Rd7 23 Bf4 Nb4

24 Rd2 A very much better try is 24 Rfe1 as suggested by the celebrated former world champion Boris Spassky. Now 24 ... Nxa2 25 Re7 is dangerous for Black so it is better to meet 24 Rfe1 with 24 ...

Rad8 but then White has prevented Black from occupying the e-file and stands better. A possible line is 25 Bg4 f5 26 Be2 when the awkward Bc4+ is coming.

24 ... Re8 Now that Black has gained control of the e-file, White is struggling to demonstrate any kind of advantage at all.

25 Rc1 Re6 26 h4 Be5 27 Bxe5 Rxe5 28 Bxb7 Rxb7 29 d7 Nc6 30 d8Q+ Nxd8 31 Rxd8+ Kg7 32 Rd2 Draw agreed White’s seemingly enduring initiative and dangerous passed pawn has fizzled out to a level endgame.

White: Magnus Carlsen Black: Viswanathan Anand World Championship, Sochi (Game 9) Ruy Lopez 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4 0-0 Nxe4 5 d4 Nd6 6 Bxc6 dxc6 7 dxe5 Nf5 8 Qxd8+ Kxd8 9 h3 Ke8 10 Nc3 h5 11 Ne2 b6 12 Rd1 Ba6 13 Nf4 Bb7 Having provoked White into premature activity this piece now relocates to its most efficient diagonal.

14 e6 Bd6 15 exf7+ Kxf7 16 Ng5+ Kf6 17 Ne4+ Kf7 18 Ng5+ Kf6 19 Ne4+ Kf7 20 Ng5+ Draw agreed White’s cavalry looks terrifying but the knights cannot land a decisive blow.

________ árD D DkD] à0pDrDpD ] ß D ) DpD] ÞD 0 D D ] Ý h g G D] ÜD D DBD ] ÛPD D )P)] ÚD DRDRI ] ÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈ ________ á 4 D D i] Winning Move àD D Dp0 ] ß D Db0nD] White to play. This position is from Sochi 2014. Þ0 0 1 Dp] Inarkiev-Tomashevsky, In this game from the Tal Memorial Blitz Ý DPDBD D] in Sochi, Black has just blundered and ÜDPD D H ] White alertly spotted the winning tactic. ÛPD ! )P)] Can you see it? ÚD DRD I ] For up-to-the-minute information follow ÁÂÃÄÅÆÇÈ my tweets on twitter.com/times_chess.

Solution right

No 6566

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9 8 6 3 7 8 1 4 2 7 2 6 7 3 1 7 8 3 9 8 2 6 3 8 8 9 4 5 6 2

No 6566 6

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Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 Solutions tomorrow, yesterday’s solutions below

Killer No 4017 12

8

Gentle 6min

11

17

7

15

9

5 23

24

Across

1 5 8 9 10 11 13 16

Calculating frame (6) Delicately understated (6) Scots bank or hillside (4) Acquired knowledge (8) Secrete milk (7) Sailing boat (5) Deeply fascinating (11) Knock over (5)

Solution to Crossword 6565 S A S P A ROM U N S AG A E GAR L E DE S P O T GR I M N S K Y

F R A N C H I S E

E T R A J RA N C M RA G S B Y I A SCR

Y SHOT A D NDRO I U NB ERR O S T UMP T A DO S K M S SCEN U U A P ER

D O Y L Y C A R T E

18 Rail transport system (7) 21 Conjuror (8) 22 Arrived (4) 23 Heaviness (6) 24 Cold northern region (6)

7

2 Artillery bombardment (7) 3 Deceive, defraud (5) 4 Single (8) 5 Shut (a door) forcefully (4) 6 Language of Bangladesh (7) 7 Hang (someone) illegally (5) 12 Woodwind instrument (8) 14 Swarming (with) (7) 15 Rules of language (7) 17 Talk foolishly (5) 19 Wine from Burgundy (5) 20 Scots garment (4)

Check today’s answers by ringing 09067 577188. Calls cost 77p per minute.

How you rate 13 words, average; 18, good; 21, very good; 24, excellent

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Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. The digits within the cells joined by the dotted lines add up to the printed top left hand figure.

Within each dotted line ‘shape’, a digit CANNOT be repeated.

Codeword

No 2250

Numbers are substituted for letters in the crossword grid. Below the grid is the key.

Some letters are solved. When you have completed your first word or phrase you will have the clues to more letters. Enter them in the key grid and the main grid and check the letters on the alphabet list as you complete them.

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Winning Move solution

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4

Boonie (b) An Australian bush hat.

Lungi (c) A long piece of cotton cloth worn as a loincloth, sash or turban by Indian men.

Snag (b) Australian slang for sausages.

4

23

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Word Watching answers

3 11

22

23

Saturday’s answers artic, cart, citral, clart, cult, curt, curtail, gait, gilt, girt, glut, grit, guilt, guitar, ictal, ital, italic, licit, lilt, liturgical, rictal, ritual, tail, talc, tall, till, tragic, trail, triac, trial, trig, trill, trug, trull, ultra

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Polygon From these letters, make words of three or more letters, always including the central letter. Answers must be in the Concise Oxford Dictionary, excluding capitalised words, plurals, conjugated verbs (past tense etc), adverbs ending in LY, comparatives and superlatives.

18

16

Down

1 Bxg6! fxg6 2 Re1 wins the bishop on e6.

Chess Raymond Keene

T2 CROSSWORD

Times Quick Crossword

Easy

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Sudoku, Killer and Codeword solutions 8 4 7 2 3 9 1 5 6

5 9 3 4 6 1 7 8 2

1 6 2 7 8 5 4 3 9

4 5 8 3 7 2 6 9 1

No 6974

2 7 9 6 1 8 5 4 3

3 1 6 9 5 4 2 7 8

6 3 1 5 9 7 8 2 4

9 2 5 8 4 6 3 1 7

7 8 4 1 2 3 9 6 5

2 4 5 1 6 9 7 3 8

7 1 8 4 2 3 9 5 6

3 6 9 5 8 7 1 2 4

4 3 1 6 7 2 8 9 5

No 4016

9 7 6 8 1 5 2 4 3

8 5 2 3 9 4 6 7 1

1 9 3 2 4 6 5 8 7

6 2 4 7 5 8 3 1 9

5 8 7 9 3 1 4 6 2

DR E NA R GR A E N G R E M K E N S T

I V E N D E DUC A O E R O RCO T I C A X L A A O M L I N B E RGAMO C L Q Z YME HUBBU A R I F ORME R A J A W A B C L E N P ROH I B I E L U N S ODGE R EG I M

No 2249

E E T B R T E

46

Monday November 24 2014 | the times

FGM

the game 6 Results and fixtures

T

Sky Bet Championship

Barclays Premier League P W W 1 Chelsea................................12 6 W 2 Southampton....................11 5 W 3 Manchester City..............12 4 Y 4 Manchester United........12 4 Y 5 Newcastle...........................12 3 Z 6 West Ham...........................12 3 Z 7 Swansea..............................12 4 Z 8 Arsenal................................12 2 Y 9 Everton................................12 2 Y10 Tottenham.........................12 2 Z 11 Stoke.....................................12 2 Z 12 Liverpool............................12 2 1 W 13 West Brom.........................12 1 W 14 Sunderland........................12 Y 15 Crystal Palace...................12 2 Z 16 Hull........................................12 1 Z 17 Aston Villa...........................11 1 1 W 18 Leicester.............................12 Y 19 Burnley................................12 1 Z20 QPR.......................................12 2 Arsenal

(0) 1

Giroud 90+5 60,074

Chelsea

Man United

HOME D L 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 3 1 2 2 0 4 1 3 2 2 3 2 4 1 1 3 2 3 1 3 4 1 2 3 2 2

(0) 2

Gibbs (og) 56 Rooney 85

(2) 2

West Brom

(0) 0

(1) 3

Liverpool

Gayle 17, Ledley 78 Jedinak 81

Lambert 2 24,862

Everton

West Ham

(1) 2

Lukaku 26 Osman 73

(0) 0

Sunderland

(0) 0

(1) 2

Swansea

(1) 1

leading scorers

(0) 0

11 B Assombalonga (N Forest) 11 D Murphy (Ipswich Town) 10 R Gestede (Blackburn R) 10 C Martin (Derby County)

(1) 1

F A GD 15 8 19 6 4 18 13 8 11 8 10 4 6 8 -1 12 10 4 6 9 3 9 7 5 10 7 3 9 9 -1 7 8 -2 9 12 -3 3 7 -4 5 12 -7 9 12 -4 6 7 -3 2 8 -11 1 9 -7 4 11 -12 2 15 -12

Tottenham

Livermore 8 Kane 61 23,561 Eriksen 90 Sent off: G Ramírez (Hull) 50

Leicester

Pts 32 25 24 19 19 18 18 17 17 17 15 14 13 13 12 11 11 10 10 8

(0) 2

31,825

Costa 11, Hazard 25 41,600 Sent off: C Yacob (West Brom) 29

C Palace

Hull

AWAY D L 2 0 0 2 2 1 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 3 1 2 1 2 2 0 4 1 3 3 2 2 3 3 2 1 3 0 5 2 3 0 6

P W W 1 Derby...................................18 5 W 2 Bournemouth..................18 5 W 3 Middlesbrough................18 4 W 4 Ipswich................................18 6 Y 5 Brentford............................18 5 Y 6 Blackburn...........................18 5 Z 7 Watford...............................18 5 Y 8 Nottingham Forest........18 4 Z 9 Charlton..............................18 4 W 10 Norwich..............................18 3 Z 11 Wolves.................................18 5 W 12 Cardiff..................................18 7 1 W 13 Sheffield Wed...................18 Y 14 Huddersfield.....................18 3 Z 15 Reading...............................18 5 Z 16 Leeds....................................18 4 W 17 Fulham................................18 4 W 18 Millwall................................18 3 Y 19 Birmingham......................18 2 W 20 Brighton..............................18 2 W 21 Bolton..................................18 4 Z22 Rotherham........................18 3 Z23 Wigan...................................18 2 1 W 24 Blackpool...........................18

F A W 15 3 4 17 1 3 11 5 3 11 5 1 8 7 2 8 6 2 10 4 1 11 8 2 12 12 2 7 8 3 6 7 2 6 6 2 10 10 2 7 7 1 8 9 1 8 10 1 3 8 2 10 9 1 4 9 1 9 8 0

Man City (1) 1

Jovetic 19 Touré 62

Newcastle (0) 1

Zárate 56 39,182

Bony 9 45,488

(0) 1

QPR

(1) 1

Burnley

Sissoko 78

Stoke Walters 32 27,018

51,915

(2) 2

Ings 12, 13

HOME D L F A W 3 1 20 8 5 2 2 15 10 4 3 2 16 6 5 2 1 14 6 2 3 1 14 10 4 3 1 17 11 3 3 1 21 11 3 3 2 18 13 3 5 0 11 7 2 5 1 16 11 4 2 2 11 9 2 0 2 18 11 0 5 3 3 8 3 4 2 12 11 2 1 3 17 11 1 3 2 12 8 1 2 3 14 7 1 3 3 13 13 1 3 4 7 17 2 5 2 9 9 1 2 3 16 12 1 2 4 9 13 1 6 1 12 8 1 2 6 5 12 0

(0) 2

Leeds

Rhodes 71, 88 (pen) Doukara 33 21,432 Sent off: T Cairney (Blackburn) 82

Rochdale (1) 1

Blackpool

Lee 82

Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal) ................................. 8

Murphy 75 12,181

Bournemouth (1) 2

Ipswich

Kermorgant 2 Ritchie 54

Bishop 50, Murphy 76 11,115

Charlton

(0) 0

Bolton

Huddersfield (0) 0 Norwich

Millwall

(1) 3

Rotherham

(0) 0

10,937

Watford

Fixtures

(0) 1

Kick-off 3.0 unless stated Saturday: Barclays Premier League: Burnley v Aston Villa; Liverpool v Stoke; Manchester United v Hull; Queens Park Rangers v Leicester; Sunderland v Chelsea (5.30); Swansea v Crystal Palace; West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal (12.45); West Ham v Newcastle.

Sky Bet Championship: Birmingham v Nottingham Forest; Bolton v Huddersfield; Bournemouth v Millwall; Brentford v Wolverhampton Wanderers; Brighton v Fulham; Charlton v Ipswich (12.15); Leeds v Derby; Middlesbrough v Blackburn; Norwich v Reading; Rotherham v Blackpool; Sheffield Wednesday v Wigan; Watford v Cardiff.

League One: Barnsley v Scunthorpe; Bradford City v Leyton Orient; Coventry v Walsall; Crawley Town v Chesterfield; Crewe v Doncaster; Gillingham v Port Vale; Milton Keynes Dons v Colchester; Rochdale v Oldham; Swindon v Fleetwood Town; Yeovil v Preston. League Two: AFC Wimbledon v Cambridge United; Bury v Dagenham & Redbridge; Carlisle v Newport County; Cheltenham v Oxford United; Hartlepool v Wycombe; Luton v Mansfield; Plymouth v York; Shrewsbury v Burton Albion; Southend v Northampton; Stevenage v Morecambe; Tranmere v Portsmouth.

Vanarama Conference: AFC Telford v Grimsby; Altrincham v Kidderminster; Barnet v Macclesfield; Bristol Rovers v Welling; Halifax v Alfreton Town; Forest Green v Dartford; Gateshead v Dover; Lincoln City v Southport; Nuneaton v Chester; Torquay v Eastleigh; Woking v Braintree Town; Wrexham v Aldershot.

William Hill Scottish Cup: Fourth round: Alloa v Hibernian; Annan Athletic v Brechin; Berwick v Albion; Boness United v Arbroath (1.30); Dundee v Aberdeen (12.15); Falkirk v Cowdenbeath; Motherwell v Dundee United; Partick v Hamilton; Queen of the South v Brora; Spartans v Morton; St Johnstone v Ross County; St Mirren v Inverness Caledonian Thistle; Stirling v Raith; Stranraer v Dunfermline.

Scottish League Two: Clyde v Queen’s Park; East Stirling v East Fife.

Sunday: Barclays Premier League: Southampton v Manchester City (1.30); Tottenham v Everton (4.0).

William Hill Scottish Cup: Fourth round: Heart of Midlothian v Celtic (3.15); Rangers v Kilmarnock (12.45).

(0) 0 (0) 0

Brighton

(1) 3

Wigan Wolves

Birmingham (0) 1

(1) 1

Middlesbro

(0) 0

Bradford

(0) 1

Bristol City

P W W 1 Bristol City.........................18 6 W 2 Swindon..............................18 5 W 3 Preston................................18 5 Y 4 MK Dons.............................15 6 W 5 Sheffield United...............17 4 Z 6 Notts County.....................17 3 W 7 Peterborough..................18 4 Y 8 Oldham...............................18 5 Z 9 Rochdale.............................17 3 W 10 Fleetwood Town.............18 4 Y 11 Chesterfield......................18 4 Y 12 Bradford.............................18 2 Z 13 Barnsley..............................17 3 Y 14 Walsall.................................18 3 Z 15 Port Vale.............................18 4 Y 16 Doncaster..........................16 1 Z 17 Crawley Town...................18 4 Y 18 Coventry.............................18 4 Y 19 Leyton Orient...................18 1 Z20 Gillingham.........................18 4 Z 21 Colchester..........................18 2 Y22 Yeovil...................................18 1 Z23 Scunthorpe........................17 2 Z24 Crewe...................................18 3

16 E Doyle (Chesterfield) 12 J Forte (Oldham Athletic) 11 J Garner (Preston NE) 9 M Done (Rochdale)

HOME D L 2 1 3 1 3 1 1 1 2 2 2 4 2 3 3 1 2 4 4 1 3 2 2 5 1 4 4 2 2 3 3 4 2 3 2 3 3 5 3 2 2 5 4 4 1 5 1 5

F 16 19 18 18 10 12 14 15 11 11 13 10 17 9 14 5 10 12 10 12 10 5 7 8

AWAY D L 4 1 2 2 1 3 2 2 1 3 3 0 1 4 6 2 0 3 0 6 3 4 3 2 3 3 3 4 2 5 0 3 4 4 3 5 4 2 3 6 3 4 1 5 3 4 2 6

A W 8 4 11 5 11 5 7 3 7 5 12 5 12 4 10 1 9 5 7 3 11 2 14 4 18 3 5 2 12 2 11 5 14 1 13 1 14 3 10 0 14 2 13 3 14 2 16 1

9 C Hourihane (Barnsley) 9 F Sears (Colchester United) 9 M Smith (Swindon Town) 9 A Wilbraham (Bristol City)

Preston

Coventry Scunthorpe

Leacock 76 McLeod 80 (pen) 2,178

Madden 26 Taylor 55

Fleetwood

Walsall

Shrewsbury

Mansfield T

Leyton Orient (2) 4

Crewe

Plasmati 23 Dagnall 35, Cox 61 Mooney 86

Grant 70 5,516

MK Dons

Port Vale

Baker 3 12,007 Sent off: C Lines (Port Vale) 38

Notts County (0) 1

Yeovil

Petrasso 63 Clarke 84, 88 7,746 Sent off: G Jones (Notts County) 29

Peterboro

Newell 90+2 7,182

(1) 1

(0) 1

Swindon

Williams 33 Obika 47

(2) 4

(0) 3

Carlisle

(1) 1

(2) 2 (0) 3

Lowe 53, 55 Hyde 63

(1) 1

Oliver 45

Plymouth

(0) 0

2,926

Northampton (1) 1

Stevenage

Richards 20

4,431

Oxford Utd

(1) 2

(0) 0

(0) 0

AFC Wimbledon(0) 0

(1) 3

Morecambe

5,443

(0) 1

Portsmouth Westcarr 11 Wallace 54, 88

(0) 1 (1) 2

Tranmere

(0) 1

(0) 2

(0) 1

(2) 2

Payne 16 Aimson (og) 23

(0) 1

Gray 53 1,523

Aldershot

Braintree

(3) 3

Strutton 14, 38 Marks 43

(0) 0

1,737

Eastleigh

(1) 2

McAllister 45 Fleetwood 65 (pen)

(0) 2

Bristol R

(0) 2

Oates 68, Hughes 70 2,936

Blissett 51 Parkes 58

Dover Ath

Forest Green (0) 0

(0) 0

916

Grimsby

(0) 0

3,446

(1) 2

Southend

Vanarama Conference

Chester (0) 0

(0) 0

14,349

Power 53 (pen) 4,621

Telford (1) 1

Sawyers 35

(1) 1

Wycombe

Cowan-Hall 4 Craig 37, Jacobson 70 McClure 90 Sent off: L Vaughan (Cheltenham) 25

Exeter

(0) 1

(2) 3

Cheltenham (1) 1

(3) 4

Lincoln City

Kidderminster (1) 2 Johnson 2 Byrne 49

(1) 1

Dartford

Miller 27 Sent off: D Sam-Yorke (Lincoln City) 66

Alfreton

Barrow 14 Fairhurst 85

1,471

Nuneaton

(0) 0

(1) 2

(0) 0

Southport

(2) 3

Marsden 15, Brodie 23 Sodje 38 Smith 49 Bakayoko 79 743 Sent off: G Dean (Nuneaton) 90+1

(1) 2

Gateshead

(0) 2

Bowman 8 (pen), 90+1 Rodman 86 (pen) 1,947 Ramshaw 89 Sent off: V Gjokaj (Gateshead) 90+6

Welling

(0) 0

Elliott 3 2,833

(0) 1

Madine 74

3,224

Newport Co

Macclesfield (1) 2

Torquay

O’Connor 3, 43, 90+3

Fenwick 27 4,234

Treacy 85

(0) 0

(0) 1

(1) 1

Rose 61 3,166

York City

Doyle 42, 58 8,544

(0) 2

Bury

Hartlepool

Barnsley

Crawley Tn

Edwards 47 4,772 Sent off: L Wilkinson (Luton) 90+4

Nottm Forest (0) 3

Chesterfield (1) 2

4,433

Luton

Fryatt 68 Assombalonga 65 Lansbury 83

Robinson 28

(0) 0

Burton Albion (0) 1

Collins 13, 34 3,933

13,245

Colchester

Nelson 90

Nichols 46, 90+1 Wheeler 75

Gillingham

(1) 3

Cambridge Utd(0) 1

Asamoah 16 Grainger 53 2,097

German 90+3

(0) 0

(1) 2

Mingoia 34, 72 1,364

Dag & Red

Sky Bet League One Legge (og) 56 12,434

Accrington

Bingham 23 Chambers 24, 46 Cureton 39

Bamford 58

25,513

Oldham

(1) 2

Ibe 39 Bryson 81

Maloney 24 16,347

(0) 1

Sky Bet League Two

Sheffield W

Derby

Doncaster

(0) 2

Donaldson 62

Munari 67 17,421

(1) 1

Campbell-Ryce 63 Forte 16 19,767 Sent off: J Ibehre (Oldham) 87

Howson 38 Bruno 33 Martin 49, Hooper 85 Lua Lua 66 26,379 Colunga 77 (pen) Sent off: B Johnson (Norwich) 90+1

Graziano Pellè (Southampton) ..................... 6

Pts 35 32 32 31 31 30 29 28 28 27 27 26 22 21 21 20 19 19 19 18 18 18 17 8

8 I Vetokele (Charlton Athletic) 7 S Cox (Reading) 7 J Rhodes (Blackburn R) *Three others with seven goals

(0) 1

14,389

Nacer Chadli (Tottenham) .......................... 6

Kick-off 7.45 unless stated Today: Barclays Premier League: Aston Villa v Southampton (8.0).

Tomorrow: Champions League: Group E: CSKA Moscow v Roma (5.0); Manchester City v Bayern Munich. Group F: Apoel Nicosia v Barcelona; Paris Saint-Germain v Ajax. Group G: Schalke v Chelsea; Sporting v Maribor. Group H: BATE Borisov v Porto (5.0); Shakhtar Donetsk v Athletic Bilbao.

Sky Bet League One: Milton Keynes Dons v Rochdale.

Johnstone’s Paint Trophy: Northern Section: Quarter-final: Oldham v Preston.

Vanarama Conference: Braintree Town v Welling; Bristol Rovers v Barnet; Dartford v Chester; Dover v Nuneaton; Grimsby v Woking; Kidderminster v Wrexham; Macclesfield v Torquay; Southport v Aldershot.

Wednesday: Champions League: Group A: Atletico Madrid v Olympiacos; Malmo v Juventus. Group B: Basle v Real Madrid; Ludogorets v Liverpool. Group C: Bayer Leverkusen v Monaco; Zenit St Petersburg v Benfica (5.0).

Group D: Anderlecht v Galatasaray; Arsenal v Borussia Dortmund.

Thursday: Europa League (8.05 unless stated): Group A: Zurich v Apollon Limassol; Villarreal v Borussia Mönchengladbach. Group B: HJK Helsinki v Copenhagen; Torino v Club Bruges.

Group C: Asteras Tripoli v Besiktas; Tottenham v Partizan Belgrade. Group D: Celtic v Red Bull Salzburg; Astra Giurgiu v Dynamo Zagreb.

Group E: Dynamo Moscow v Panathinaikos (4.0); Estoril v PSV Eindhoven. Group F: Inter Milan v Dnipro; Saint-Étienne v Karabakh.

Group G (6.0): Feyenoord v Seville; Rijeka v Standard Liege. Group H: Krasnodar v Lille (5.0); Wolfsburg v Everton (6.0). Group I (6.0): Slovan Bratislava v Young Boys; Sparta Prague v Napoli. Group J (6.0): Aalborg v Steaua Bucharest; Dynamo Kiev v Rio Ave. Group K (6.0): Dynamo Minsk v PAOK Salonika; Guingamp v Fiorentina. Group L (6.0): Lokeren v Legia Warsaw; Trabzonspor v Metalist Kharkiv.

Friday: Sky Bet League One: Peterborough v Bristol City; Sheffield United v Notts County.

League Two: Accrington Stanley v Exeter (7.0).

(0) 1

19,189

Charlie Austin (QPR) ....................................... 6

GD 18 17 14 8 2 4 10 6 2 6 -3 1 -2 -6 -6 -5 -5 -5 -14 -3 -7 -10 -4 -18

Done 8 Bennett 25, Main 86 3,229 Robinson 90 Sent off: M Done (Rochdale) 54

Sheffield U

Diego Costa (Chelsea) ................................ 11

Saido Berahino (West Brom) .......................... 7

A 9 8 7 13 14 14 10 10 11 11 16 11 6 20 18 18 26 11 12 14 16 12 15 18

F 17 16 12 12 14 12 12 10 19 8 12 13 10 6 9 12 8 9 13 6 14 9 14 6

A 11 9 8 9 13 4 9 10 10 10 14 10 10 11 13 12 14 15 12 15 14 15 18 20

GD 14 15 11 14 4 8 5 5 11 2 0 -1 -1 -1 -2 -6 -10 -7 -3 -7 -4 -14 -11 -22

Pts 36 35 34 30 30 29 27 27 26 25 24 23 22 22 22 21 21 20 19 18 17 17 16 15

9 A Williams (Swindon Town) 8 I Henderson (Rochdale) 7 K Agard (Bristol City) *Three others with seven goals

Sky Bet Leagues, non-League, Scotland and Europe Blackburn

Sergio Agüero (Man City) ............................. 12

AWAY D L F 2 2 15 3 2 20 2 2 11 5 2 13 1 4 12 3 3 12 2 4 10 4 2 11 5 2 9 1 4 12 4 3 11 5 4 5 5 1 9 2 5 13 2 6 6 2 6 9 2 6 14 4 4 6 4 3 8 4 4 11 1 7 5 4 4 6 2 6 7 3 6 7

leading scorers 9 M Antonio (N Forest) 9 C Wilson (Bournemouth) 8 C Jerome (Norwich City) 8 G Leadbitter (Middlesbrough)

Sky Bet Championship

leading scorers

Sky Bet League One

(1) 2

Halifax

(1) 1

Bassele 42 Maynard 45 Penny 50 500 Sent off: M Pearson (Halifax) 52

Woking

(0) 1

Cestor 57 2,617

Wrexham

Barnet

(1) 1

Cestor (og) 2

(2) 2

Altrincham

(0) 3

Durrell 14, Moult 45+1 Reeves 74, 79 3,002 Lawrie 83 Sent off: S Leather (Altrincham) 37 , L Moult (Wrexham) 45+3 , A Bishop (Wrexham) 55 P Barnet.................22 Grimsby .............. 22 Woking................20 Macclesfield ....... 21 Gateshead...........21 Bristol Rovers.....21 Forest Green.......21 Eastleigh.............19 Kidderminster.....21 Torquay...............20 Halifax ................ 21 Wrexham............21 Braintree.............22 Aldershot............21 Lincoln City.........21 Chester .............. 21 Dover Athletic....21 Altrincham..........22 Southport ........... 20 Welling ............... 21 Dartford..............21 Alfreton Town....21 Nuneaton............20 Telford United....21

W D L F A GD Pts 14 4 4 49 19 30 46 10 7 5 35 17 18 37 10 6 4 35 20 15 36 9 9 3 26 16 10 36 9 8 4 35 28 7 35 9 8 4 24 19 5 35 8 10 3 29 22 7 34 9 6 4 33 25 8 33 9 6 6 27 21 6 33 9 5 6 38 28 10 32 9 5 7 32 24 8 32 8 5 8 25 25 0 29 8 3 11 24 24 0 27 7 6 8 22 23 -1 27 7 6 8 34 36 -2 27 8 3 10 24 35 -11 27 7 4 10 24 31 -7 25 7 4 11 24 40 -16 25 6 5 9 23 33 -10 23 5 7 9 26 30 -4 22 4 8 9 20 30 -10 20 5 2 14 19 41 -22 17 4 3 13 16 35 -19 15 3 4 14 26 48 -22 13

Vanarama North:AFC Fylde 0 Stockport County 0; Brackley Town 2 Bradford Park Avenue 1; Chorley 3 Hyde FC 2; Colwyn Bay 3 Gloucester City 1; Guiseley 2 Barrow 3; Harrogate Town 0 Worcester City 3; Hednesford Town 2 Tamworth 3; Leamington 1 Boston United 1; Lowestoft Town 1 North Ferriby United 2; Solihull Moors 2 Gainsborough Trinity 0; Stalybridge Celtic 0 Oxford City 2.

P Barrow................17 Guiseley..............19 Chorley................18 AFC Fylde............16 Solihull Moors....18 Oxford City ......... 20 Stockport............18 Boston United .... 19 North Ferriby......18 Worcester City...17 Hednesford ........19 Colwyn Bay.........18 Harrogate .......... 18 Gainsborough .... 19 Lowestoft ..........18 Leamington.........17 Brackley Town....17 Tamworth...........17 Bradford PA........19 Gloucester City...17

W D L F 12 3 2 37 10 5 4 37 10 4 4 33 10 3 3 36 10 3 5 40 9 4 7 38 9 3 6 31 8 6 5 29 7 7 4 29 7 6 4 21 7 5 7 28 6 6 6 29 6 4 8 21 6 4 9 27 5 5 8 18 5 4 8 24 5 4 8 13 3 9 5 22 4 5 10 25 3 6 8 24

A 17 22 22 12 24 38 24 27 24 18 24 30 25 32 29 27 25 28 40 36

GD Pts 20 39 15 35 11 34 24 33 16 33 0 31 7 30 2 30 5 28 3 27 4 26 -1 24 -4 22 -5 22 -11 20 -3 19 -12 19 -6 18 -15 17 -12 15

Stalybridge ........18 3 4 11 17 31 -14 13 Hyde....................19 1 4 14 24 48 -24 7 Vanarama South: Boreham Wood 1 Gosport Borough 1; Bromley 2 Sutton United 1; Chelmsford City 2 Bath City 1; Eastbourne Borough 1 Ebbsfleet United 1; Farnborough Town 1 Hayes & Yeading 0; Hemel Hempstead Town 4 Basingstoke Town 3; St Albans City 1 Havant & Waterlooville 0; Staines Town 1 Bishop’s Stortford 0; Wealdstone 1 Concord Rangers 0.

P W D L F A GD Pts Boreham Wood...17 10 3 4 37 17 20 33 Bromley .............. 16 9 3 4 30 20 10 30 Ebbsfleet ........... 17 8 5 4 25 10 15 29 Basingstoke .......15 9 0 6 25 17 8 27 Gosport Boro ...... 14 7 5 2 26 9 17 26 Havant & W........16 8 2 6 24 15 9 26 Whitehawk.........17 8 2 7 27 24 3 26 Eastbourne Boro.17 6 7 4 23 23 0 25 St Albans City .... 18 8 1 9 27 28 -1 25 Hemel H .............15 7 3 5 19 24 -5 24 Chelmsford ........17 7 3 7 20 28 -8 24 Maidenhead........17 6 4 7 27 31 -4 22 Hayes & Y...........17 6 4 7 20 24 -4 22 Bath City.............16 6 3 7 20 23 -3 21 Concord R............15 5 5 5 23 22 1 20 Sutton United.....16 5 5 6 23 25 -2 20 Farnborough ...... 17 6 1 10 16 31 -15 19 Bishop’s S...........17 4 6 7 24 28 -4 18 Wealdstone ........ 18 4 6 8 18 27 -9 18 Staines Town......16 4 0 12 21 33 -12 12 Weston-s-Mare..14 3 2 9 16 32 -16 11

Scottish Premiership Partick Thistle(0) 0

Aberdeen

4,145

Rooney 34 (pen)

Celtic

(1) 2

Stokes 45 Guidetti 54

Dundee Utd

(0) 1

Clarkson 58 43,787

(2) 3

Ciftci 6, Armstrong 42 Connolly 90+2

Hamilton A

Dundee

(1) 1

(1) 3

Andreu 40 Antoine-Curier 67 Crawford 74

Kilmarnock

(1) 1

Pascali 38 6,664

St. Mirren

(0) 0

2,195

Inverness CT (1) 3

Motherwell

McKay 29, Watkins 71 Meekings 78

Ojamaa 31 3,037

(1) 1

St. Johnstone (1) 2

Ross County (0) 1

McFadden 39 O’Halloran 73

Jervis 75 2,776

P W D L F A Celtic...................13 9 2 2 27 9 Inverness CT.......14 9 2 3 22 12 Dundee United....14 9 1 4 25 15 Hamilton A.........14 8 3 3 27 14 Aberdeen ............ 14 8 1 5 20 17 Dundee................14 5 5 4 19 17 Kilmarnock..........14 6 2 6 16 19 St. Johnstone.....14 5 2 7 12 17 Partick Thistle....13 4 3 6 17 17 Motherwell.........14 3 1 10 9 24 St. Mirren...........14 2 2 10 10 25 Ross County........14 2 2 10 13 31

GD Pts 18 29 10 29 10 28 13 27 3 25 2 20 -3 20 -5 17 0 15 -15 10 -15 8 -18 8

Championship: Alloa Athletic 2 Falkirk 3; Cowdenbeath 1 Livingston 0; Dumbarton 3 Hibernian 6; Hearts 2 Rangers 0; Queen of the South 2 Raith Rovers 0.

P W D L F A GD Pts Hearts ................14 12 2 0 37 7 30 38 Rangers...............14 9 2 3 35 13 22 29 Queen of South .. 14 7 4 3 26 16 10 25 Hibernian............14 6 4 4 24 16 8 22 Raith Rovers.......14 5 3 6 16 26 -10 18 Falkirk.................14 4 5 5 18 22 -4 17 Dumbarton..........14 3 4 7 13 31 -18 13 Alloa Athletic ..... 14 3 3 8 15 23 -8 12

the times | Monday November 24 2014

47

FGM

the game 6 Results and fixtures Sky Bet League Two P W Y 1 Wycombe...........................18 4 Y 2 Burton Albion...................18 6 Z 3 Luton Town.......................18 6 Z 4 Shrewsbury.......................18 8 Y 5 Southend............................18 4 Z 6 Plymouth...........................18 7 Z 7 Bury......................................18 7 Y 8 Newport County.............18 4 Y 9 Exeter City.........................18 3 Y10 Portsmouth.......................18 6 Z 11 Morecambe.......................18 4 Y 12 Accrington Stanley........18 6 Z 13 Cambridge United.........18 5 Y 14 Northampton...................18 5 Z 15 Stevenage..........................18 6 Z 16 AFC Wimbledon..............18 4 Y 17 Mansfield Town...............18 5 Z 18 Cheltenham......................18 3 Z 19 Oxford United..................18 3 Y20 York City.............................18 0 Y 21 Dag & Red..........................18 3 Z22 Carlisle.................................18 4 1 W 23 Tranmere............................18 1 W 24 Hartlepool..........................18

HOME D L 3 2 1 2 1 2 1 0 3 2 1 1 0 2 4 1 4 2 2 1 2 3 1 2 0 4 1 3 0 3 3 2 1 3 3 3 3 3 6 3 0 6 2 3 4 4 3 5

F 11 11 11 21 9 16 17 16 13 18 9 15 18 17 17 15 10 9 10 6 12 15 9 6

A W 9 6 7 5 4 4 3 2 5 5 2 2 8 2 11 3 12 4 6 1 10 4 10 2 10 2 12 2 10 1 11 2 8 1 11 3 8 2 9 3 15 2 14 1 12 1 14 2

AWAY D L 2 1 1 3 3 2 2 5 1 3 2 5 3 4 3 3 2 3 3 5 0 5 1 6 3 4 2 5 3 5 3 4 3 5 1 5 2 5 3 3 3 4 1 7 2 6 0 7

F 17 14 9 8 10 5 10 9 11 3 10 11 11 10 9 8 5 8 9 11 11 8 7 7

A 7 14 8 12 10 8 13 8 11 13 10 19 13 13 16 14 13 16 15 13 15 20 13 17

GD 12 4 8 14 4 11 6 6 1 2 -1 -3 6 2 0 -2 -6 -10 -4 -5 -7 -11 -9 -18

Pts 35 35 34 33 31 30 30 28 27 26 26 26 24 24 24 24 22 22 20 18 18 18 12 12

leading scorers 10 D Hylton (Oxford United) 9 R Reid (Plymouth Argyle) 9 M Richards (Northampton) 8 J Collins (Shrewsbury Town)

8 M Cullen (Luton Town) 8 P Hayes (Wycombe ) 8 D Rose (Bury) 8 M Tubbs (AFC Wimbledon)

Cowdenbeath......14 3 2 9 15 34 -19 11 Livingston...........14 2 3 9 11 22 -11 9 League One: Dunfermline Athletic 4 Stirling Albion 0; Forfar Athletic 2 Ayr United 0; Morton 3 Stenhousemuir 1; Peterhead 1 Brechin City 1; Stranraer 1 Airdrieonians 0.

P W D L F A GD Pts Morton.....................14 9 0 5 24 15 9 27 Forfar Athletic.........14 7 5 2 23 15 8 26 Dunfermline ........... 14 7 3 4 20 9 11 24 Stranraer.................14 6 6 2 26 18 8 24 Brechin City.............14 5 5 4 24 22 2 20 Peterhead................14 5 5 4 16 19 -3 20 Ayr United...............14 5 1 8 17 22 -5 16 Stenhousemuir........14 4 2 8 17 23 -6 14 Airdrieonians...........14 3 4 7 17 20 -3 13 Stirling Albion.........14 1 5 8 13 34 -21 8 League Two: Arbroath 4 Clyde 0; Berwick Rangers 2 Annan Athletic 0; East Fife 1 Elgin City 1; East Stirling 4 Montrose 0; Queen’s Park 0 Albion Rovers 1.

P W D L F A GD Pts Arbroath..................13 10 0 3 30 11 19 30 Albion Rovers..........13 8 3 2 20 9 11 27 Queen’s Park...........13 8 1 4 22 12 10 25 Berwick Rangers ..... 13 4 4 5 23 20 3 16 East Fife..................13 4 4 5 18 17 1 16 Clyde........................13 4 3 6 17 22 -5 15 East Stirling............13 5 0 8 16 28 -12 15 Annan Athletic........13 3 5 5 15 18 -3 14 Montrose.................13 4 2 7 15 29 -14 14 Elgin City.................13 2 4 7 11 21 -10 10

Women’s International Friendly England

(0) 0

45,619

Germany

(3) 3

Scott (og) 6 Okoyino da Mbabi 12, 45

Spanish league: Atletico Madrid 3 Malaga 1; Barcelona 5 Seville 1; Deportivo La Coruña 0 Real Sociedad 0; Eibar 0 Real Madrid 4; Elche 2 Córdoba 2; Levante 2 Valencia 1; Rayo Vallecano 1 Celta Vigo 0; Villarreal 2 Getafe 1.

Leading teams

P W

D

L

F

A GD Pts

Real Madrid.............12 10 0 2 46 11 35 30 Barcelona.................12 9 1 2 30 6 24 28 Atletico Madrid.......12 8 2 2 23 12 11 26 Valencia...................11 7 3 1 23 9 14 24 Seville......................12 7 2 3 19 16 3 23 Malaga.....................12 6 3 3 15 12 3 21 Celta Vigo................12 5 5 2 17 12 5 20 Villarreal..................12 5 3 4 17 14 3 18 German league: Cologne 1 Hertha Berlin 2; Mainz 2 Freiburg 2; Borussia Mönchengladbach 1 Eintracht Frankfurt 3; Bayern Munich 4 Hoffenheim 0; Schalke 3 Wolfsburg 2; Hamburg 2 Werder Bremen 0; Hanover 1 Bayer Leverkusen 3; Paderborn 2 Borussia Dortmund 2; Stuttgart 0 Augsburg 1.

Leading teams

P W D L F A GD Pts Bayern Munich ........ 12 9 3 0 31 3 28 30 Wolfsburg................12 7 2 3 24 12 12 23 B Mönchengladbach 12 5 5 2 16 9 7 20 Bayer Leverkusen....12 5 5 2 20 16 4 20 Hanover...................12 6 1 5 10 14 -4 19 Augsburg.................12 6 0 6 15 12 3 18 Schalke ................... 12 5 2 5 17 17 0 17 Hoffenheim ............. 12 4 5 3 17 18 -1 17 Italian league: Atalanta 1 Roma 2; Cesena 1 Sampdoria 1; Lazio 0 Juventus 3; AC Milan 1 Inter Milan 1; Napoli 3 Cagliari 3; Parma 0 Empoli 2; Torino 0 Sassuolo 1; Udinese 1 Chievo 1; Verona 1 Fiorentina 2.

Leading teams

P W Juventus..................12 10 Roma........................12 9 Napoli ...................... 12 6 Sampdoria ............... 12 5 Genoa.......................11 5 Lazio ........................ 12 6 AC Milan .................. 12 4 Udinese....................12 5

D 1 1 4 6 4 1 6 3

L 1 2 2 1 2 5 2 4

F 28 21 23 15 15 21 21 15

A GD Pts 4 24 31 7 14 28 15 8 22 9 6 21 11 4 19 16 5 19 17 4 18 15 0 18

7 A Akinfenwa (Wimbledon) 7 K Ellison (Morecambe) 7 P Murphy (Wycombe) 7 J Wallace (Portsmouth)

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ON THE BOX Today: 8pm: Aston Villa v Southampton, Barclays Premier League, Sky Sports 1.

Tomorrow: 5pm: CSKA Moscow v Roma, Champions League, Sky Sports 5. 7.45pm: Manchester City v Bayern Munich, Champions League, ITV. 7.45pm: Schalke v Chelsea, Champions League, Sky Sports 5. 7.45pm: Apoel v Barcelona, Champions League, Sky Sports 1. All other Champions League games on Sky Sports 5 red button.

Wednesday: 5pm: Zenit St Petersburg v Benfica, Champions League, Sky Sports 5. 7.45pm: Ludogorets v Liverpool, Champions League, Sky Sports 5. 7.45pm: Arsenal v Borussia Dortmund, Champions League, Sky Sports 1/Sky 1. 7.45pm: Basle v Real Madrid, Champions League, Sky Sports 3. All other Champions League games on Sky Sports 5 red button.

Thursday: 4pm: Dynamo Moscow v Panathinaikos, Europa League, BT Sport 2. 6pm: Wolfsburg v Everton, Europa League, ITV4. 6pm: Feyenoord v Seville, Europa League, BT Sport 1.

6pm: Sparta Prague v Napoli, Europa League, BT Sport 2. 8.05pm: Tottenham Hotspur v Partizan Belgrade, Europa League, ITV4.

8.05pm: Celtic v Red Bull Salzburg, Europa League, BT Sport 1. 8.05pm: Villarreal v Borussia Mönchengladbach, Europa League, BT Sport 2.

Friday: 7.45pm: Peterborough United v Bristol City, Sky Bet League One, Sky Sports 1. 7.45pm: Real Sociedad v Elche, Spanish league, Sky Sports 5.

Saturday: 12.15pm: Charlton Athletic v Ipswich Town, Championship, Sky Sports 1. 12.45pm: West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal, Premier League, BT Sport 1. 5.30pm: Sunderland v Chelsea, Premier League, Sky Sports 1. 7pm: Malaga v Real Madrid, Spanish league, Sky Sports 5. 9pm: Celta Vigo v Eibar, Spanish league, Sky Sports 5.

Sunday: 11am: Atletico Madrid v Deportivo La Coruña, Spanish league, Sky Sports 5. 12.45pm: Rangers v Kilmarnock, Scottish Cup, Sky Sports 2.

1.30pm: Southampton v Manchester City, Premier League, Sky Sports 1.

3.15pm: Heart of Midlothian v Celtic, Scottish Cup, Sky Sports 2. 3.45pm: PSV Eindhoven v Feyenoord, Dutch league, Sky Sports 5. 4pm: Tottenham Hotspur v Everton, Premier League, Sky Sports 1. 4.30pm: Eintracht Brunswick v Borussia Dortmund, German league, ESPN. 5pm: Juventus v Torino, Italian league, BT Sport 1. 6pm: Cordoba v Villarreal, Spanish league, Sky Sports 5. 6pm: Academica Coimbra v Benfica, Portuguese league, BT Sport 2. 7.45pm: Roma v Inter Milan, Italian league, BT Sport 1. 8pm: Valencia v Barcelona, Spanish league, Sky Sports 5.

New stadiums bring misleading gloss to FA Cup attendances

videoed the game could discover on freezing the frame.

SLOW STARTER In September, Liverpool played a televised match in London (against West Ham United) in which Raheem Sterling’s first touch of the ball came when his team were already 2-0 down. Yesterday Liverpool played a televised match in London (against Crystal Palace ) in which Sterling’s first touch (aside from the kick-off) came when his team were already 1-0 up.

Bill Edgar On the face of it, the FA Cup has grown in popularity among spectators over the past decade. The average attendance from the first round to quarter-finals between 1994 and 2004 was 11,398, and that has risen to 11,818 over the subsequent ten years.

But a look at the figures for individual rounds provides an interesting insight (as the chart reveals). First-round matches have seen a decrease in attendances of 16 per cent over this period (one sixth), and exactly the same applies to the second round.

In contrast, the first four rounds in which clubs from the top two tiers play — the third to the sixth — have all witnessed an increase in average numbers through the turnstiles. The sixth round has experienced an enormous 20 per cent jump.

How can the later stages of the FA Cup have become so much more popular whereas the earlier rounds are now less attractive? The explanation appears to lie in the issue of stadium expansion or relocation among the bigger clubs.

Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle United are playing in arenas with significantly more seats than they were 20 years ago, meaning that a much greater number of fans can attend their games.

In fact, a rough assessment of the impact of these five clubs increasing their stadium size suggests that they alone have probably accounted for more or less the entire 4 per cent attendance rise combined for the first to sixth rounds.

Naturally, a higher proportion of sixth-round fixtures will be hosted by these five clubs than occurs in the third round, since they progress farther in the competition than most other teams, hence the greatest rise is among sixth-round attendances.

Semi-finals and final attendances have

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BILLY’S BRAINBUSTER David Moyes’s first match in charge of Real Sociedad on Saturday brought their first goalless draw for 32 games in all competitions. Moyes’s first home match in charge of Manchester United featured the team’s first 0-0 in 119 games.

0­0

not been included because they were so heavily influenced by the venue — much more clearly so than the earlier rounds.

In recent years they have attracted much larger crowds because the new Wembley has staged the final since 2007 and semi-finals since 2008.

OFF THE MARK Categorical claims about offside decisions are dangerous, as was shown in reports of Yaya Sanogo’s first goal for France Under-21 against England Under21 last week. One account said that Sanogo was “clearly offside”; a second stated that “Sanogo was offside because he was behind the goalkeeper and there was only one defender on the line”; a third asserted that “an assistant failed to spot Sanogo was offside as he touched home Antoine Conte’s effort”; a fourth declared simply that “Sanogo was offside”; a fifth lamented that Sanogo scored “despite being offside”; a sixth proclaimed that Sanogo “was offside for his first goal, although the officials failed to spot it”. Unfortunately, Sanogo was about a foot onside, as anyone who had

RED DRAGONS In successive days a Wales player had to change his blood-stained shirt in the first half after sustaining a cut head — Neil Taylor, of Swansea City, on Saturday and Joe Allen, of Liverpool, yesterday.

TWO OF A KIND In England and France, the league leaders are a team in blue from the southwest of the capital, unbeaten in all competitions this season, having been launched to prominence by foreign investment. For Chelsea, read Paris Saint-Germain.

COMBINATION COUNT When Michael Carrick moved back to join Paddy McNair and Chris Smalling in the closing minutes against Arsenal, they formed the 14th central defensive combination for Manchester United in the league this season (five trios, nine pairs). Chelsea? One combination throughout: Gary Cahill and John Terry NO 10s IN PRIME FORM Excluding the one own goal, every goal scored by away teams in the Premier League on Saturday was supplied by a player wearing 10: two by Danny Ings, below, for Burnley, and one each by Wayne Rooney for Manchester United, Wilfried Bony for Swansea and Mauro Zárate for West Ham.

Average FA Cup attendances 1994-2004

2004-2014

First to sixth round First round Second round

Third round Fourth round

Fifth round Sixth round

11,398 11,818

4%

3,786 3,178

16%

4,684 3,931

16% 14,972 16,103

7% 20,491 21,413

4% 25,294 28,217 29,949

12%

36,077

20%

MAPPING ROUTE TO GOAL Everton conceded a London A-Z goal: Amalfitano teed up Zárate to score for West Ham. AND FINALLY Aston Villa have scored only three second-half goals in their past 27 games . . . Chelsea have gained more points than Arsenal and Liverpool combined this season . . . Tottenham’s past five league and European games have all finished 1-2: they have won three away and lost two at home.

0 Bill Edgar is the author of Back of the net: 100 Golden Goals, published by Yellow Jersey

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FGM

Monday November 24 2014 | the times

the game 6 Barclays Premier League

Chelsea told to mind the trap having widened gap alyson rudd

Chelsea

Costa 11, Hazard 25

West Brom Referee L Mason Attendance 41,600

2 0

Loïc Rémy spoke about a trap and Chelsea do indeed resemble a needlessly paranoid individual, the type that complains that their lampshade is bugged and that an invitation to the cinema could be a diversionary tactic while their home is searched.

José Mourinho’s side had begun against West Bromwich Albion in the sort of effortless form that championselect are made of. It was superiority of the type that prompts a sharp intake of breath. They scored twice: Diego Costa, all bouncy and free of injury worries, with a cushioned volley, then Eden Hazard with an all too simple finish after a short corner by Cesc Fàbregas.

Then came the trap. Claudio Yacob was sent off in the 29th minute for his challenge on Costa and it felt as if Chelsea were a chatterbox that had suddenly clammed up.

They had been in total, glidingly imperious, form but stared around suspiciously as if Yacob’s dismissal was a riddle to be solved rather than an opportunity to be exploited. The expected deluge failed to materialise.

Ings begins to find scoring instinct again nick szczepanik

Stoke City

Walters 32

Burnley

Ings 12, 13

Referee M Atkinson Attendance 27,018

1 2

Burnley may be a low-budget production by normal Premier League standards, but in Danny Ings they have that most valuable of football commodities — a natural goalscorer.

Ings scored 26 times in the Sky Bet

West Brom accepted that their fate was to lose but not necessarily to be humiliated and Stamford Bridge sank into the sort of stillness that Mourinho had criticised this month as being unhelpful.

“I think every player is conscious we can really win something this year,” Rémy said, “but the most important thing is to stay focused about the same thing and don’t think the league is already won, because I think it is a trap if we think that. So we just have to try to win game after game and we know there are a lot of games coming, so we have to be careful and play the same way we are playing at the minute.”

On this evidence, no one could accuse Chelsea of counting any chickens. Both Mourinho and Fàbregas used the word “beautiful” to describe what had unfolded. It was indeed, in its simplicity and smoothness, until the caginess set in. This tendency is not deliberate. it seems. At least Mourinho is not admitting it if so.

“What I always say is that when you play as well as we are doing now, you don’t have to be afraid of bad results,” he said. “A bad result will arrive, but that negative period of bad results that sometimes people think is going to arrive with a team that plays so well like we do is very difficult to happen.”

On the other hand, the former Real Madrid manager is not about to put

beauty first, to think that grace, elegance and fluidity matter all that much come the end of the season.

“Do you remember a team that played fantastic football and won nothing? I don’t think you remember

them,” Mourinho said. “You remember the ones that won without playing fantastically well. We are getting results, but if you don’t manage to get some silverware it’s a frustration.”

West Brom left west London slightly

Championship and cups last season, but a hamstring injury delayed his first goal at the top level until a 3-1 defeat at home to Everton on October 26.

However, all the signs are that he is coming into top form. During the international break he scored twice for England Under-21 against Portugal and on Saturday he hit league goals numbers two and three.

Both were right-time, right-place poachers’ efforts that are made to look simple by instinct and positional sense.

As Sean Dyche, the Burnley manager, pointed out, though, they count the same as 30-yard curlers into the top corner. “I hear a lot about this desire from players to score a trendy goal, but what’s that about?” Dyche said. “The best strikers in the world find a way of just scoring a goal. If they can score a lovely one, great. If they can’t, they will take one off their knee, off their chest and that’s the measure of a great striker and Danny is learning that.”

Burnley value Ings, 22, at about £10 million but could lose him for about a third of that in compensation next summer unless they can persuade him to sign a new contract. Dyche, though, is unworried. “We have endless conversations with him and all players are free to make their mind up,” he said.

“We are more interested in the way he is performing and he is doing a nice job at the moment.”

Both manager and player feel that calls for a chance in the full England side sound premature, but Ings added: “As long as I keep scoring, who knows?

I feel like I’m taking everything in my stride. I knew goals would not come as frequently as last year, but I think I’m coping with the league well.”

Ings’s early double brought Burnley back-to-back wins after they had failed to take three points in any of their first ten Premier League matches. “It’s the hardest league in the world after coming up from the Championship,”

Ings said. “The lads are coping with it extremely well, the mentality is good and our form and confidence are good.

Now we are getting momentum and getting the points on the board.”

The only consolation for Mark Hughes, the Stoke manager, was the performance of Bojan Krkic, the former Barcelona prodigy who, like Ings, is finding his feet in the Premier League after a difficult start. He directed operations tirelessly from midfield and also supplied an old-fashioned cross on to the head of Jonathan Walters for Stoke’s lone reply after 32 minutes.

“It’s not all about short, little passes and good movement,” Hughes said.

“He’ll mix his game up because he’s an intelligent footballer. [The Premier League] took him aback somewhat, so he had to bide his time. He’s worked exceptionally hard in the gym and on the training ground to get up to speed, so he’s reaping the benefits. He was a shining light on a poor day for us.”

Flying start: Costa scores the opening goal that Chelsea’s early fluency warranted on Saturday ALAN WALTER / ACTION IMAGES

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ratings

Stoke City (4-2-3-1): A Begovic 6 — P Bardsley 5, R Shawcross 5, G Cameron 5, M Muniesa 4 — S N’Zonzi 5, S Sidwell 5 (sub: C Adam, 78min) — J Walters 7, B Krkic 8, V Moses 5 (sub: M Arnautovic, 56 6) — M Diouf 4 (sub: P Crouch, 60 5).

Substitutes not used: T Sorensen, G Whelan, S Ireland, O Assaidi.

Booked: Diouf, Sidwell.

Burnley (4-4-2): T Heaton 7 — K Trippier 6, M Duff 7 (sub: M Keane, 76), J Shackell 7, S Ward 7 — G Boyd 7, D Marney 7, D Jones 6, M Kightly 7 (sub: L Jutkiewicz, 60 6) — D Ings 7 (sub: S Reid, 86), A Barnes 7.

Substitutes not used: M Gilks, B Mee, R Wallace, M Sordell. Booked: Heaton.

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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the game 6 Barclays Premier League Mourinho dismisses Ramos as not fit to comment

Happy for you: Pardew, the Newcastle manger, celebrates with Sissoko, the goalscorer, at St James’ Park on Saturday

alyson rudd

confused. They had been outclassed but summoned the concentration not to concede once down to ten men. Alan Irvine was unsure whether to offer praise or express bitter regret. His team had identified Chelsea’s short corners as a threat, yet had failed to mark properly in the face of the one from which Hazard scored and was certain that Costa had been in an offside position when he gave Chelsea the lead.

Ben Foster, though, proved his international calibre with a wide variety of saves, some unorthodox, some brave, some simply alert, and his performance was perhaps part of the reason that the home side lost some verve.

“It was the most he’d had to do this season by a long way,” Irvine said. “I think that was down to their quality.

Their passing, their movement, their combination play was excellent. So he had to be in good form. We knew we’d have to be anyway, with 11 men.

Obviously with ten it made it even more difficult for him.”

Chelsea face Schalke tomorrow, with Mourinho emphasising how real the threat of dropping into the Europa League would be. Few buy into these apocalypse stories of his, but his players clearly take nothing for granted.

Schalke v Chelsea, Champions League group G, tomorrow, 7.45pm, Sky Sports 5 Schalke welcomed Felipe Santana and Joël Matip back to the team after injury as they beat Wolfsburg 3-2 at home, but they are still missing the injured Julian Draxler, Sead Kolasinac and Jefferson Farfán.

Schalke are sixth in the Bundesliga after securing a fourth successive home league win through two goals by Maxim ChoupoMoting and one from Christian Fuchs.

ratings Chelsea (4-2-3-1): T Courtois 5 — B Ivanovic 6, J Terry 6, G Cahill 6, C Azpilicueta 6 — C Fàbregas 7, N Matic 7 — Willian 7 (sub: Ramires, 86min), Oscar 7 (sub: L Rémy, 79), E Hazard 7 — D Costa 8 (sub: D Drogba, 84). Substitutes not used: P Cech, F Luis, K Zuma, A Schürrle. Booked: Willian.

West Bromwich Albion (4-2-3-1): B Foster 8 — A Wisdom 5, C Dawson 5, J Lescott 5, C Baird 5 (sub: C Gamboa, 68 5)— C Gardner 5, C Yacob 4 — G Dorrans 5 (sub: J Morrison, 84), S Sessegnon 5, C Brunt 5 — S Berahino 5 (sub: V Anichebe, 78). Substitutes not used: B Myhill, B Ideye, G McAuley, G Samaras.

The fitness of Diego Costa created a rift between Chelsea and the Spanish FA that has not so much healed as festered, with José Mourinho aiming a barb at Sergio Ramos after the Spain captain seemed to suggest that the Chelsea striker, along with Cesc Fàbregas, had failed to show enough commitment to his country.

“Sometimes I play with discomfort,” Ramos had said. “It depends on a player’s DNA.” This did not sit well with Mourinho. “Since I know Sergio Ramos, he is a fantastic football player, but he is not a doctor,” the Chelsea manager said.

“I am the same. I do my job the best I can, but I am not a doctor. My doctor and the doctor of the Spanish national team, they had the scans and they decided that the player was not in condition to play. I am nobody — nobody — to go against that.

“And unless Sergio did it in the last couple of years, I don’t think he did a medicine masters to understand the body.”

Costa has been at the centre of a tug of war between club and country, with Vicente del Bosque ignoring Chelsea’s request not to select the striker last month but bowing to the west London club’s wishes for the most recent European Championship qualifiers.

Fàbregas reported for duty but returned to his club with a hamstring problem.

Ramos later stated that he was not specifically questioning the commitment of Costa and Fàbregas, but Mourinho said: “How many players were injured for the international teams and could recover one week later doing his work in the club? Lots of them.

There is no story.”

Newcastle’s defensive stinginess serving their revival well jason mellor

Newcastle United Sissoko 78

QPR Referee C Foy Attendance 51,915

1 0

No wonder Arsenal are in the midst of a defensive meltdown. Their favourite scoreline has deserted them, and taken up residence with Newcastle United at St James’ Park. Stubborn as he is, Arsène Wenger might not like to admit as much, but then again, when it comes to conceding, Alan Pardew’s side can more than match the Frenchman for giving nothing away. That’ll be 1-0 to the Newcastle, then.

It is more than seven hours since the Barclays Premier League’s most upwardly mobile team shipped a goal, facilitating a shift from bottom three to top five in the space of a little more than a month. Newcastle are in the midst of a bewilderingly positive five weeks, laced with half a dozen consecutive victories and talk of a challenge for Europe that would have seemed preposterous as Pardew felt the full ire of the Tyneside hate mob, now seemingly a lifetime ago.

That Newcastle have proved so difficult to break down during a period in which injury has forced them at various points to pair together four different players at centre back makes their transformation all the more remarkable. Take a bow Paul Dummett, Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor. That’s not forgetting the full backs, Daryl Janmaat, Massadio

Haidara, and Tim Krul. “There is a secret to our defensive solidity,” the Holland goalkeeper said. “But I’m not going to reveal what it is.”

Leicester City, Liverpool and now Queens Park Rangers, defeated in all their seven away games this season, have been dispatched by way of football’s most unfussy winning result in the three most recent home fixtures.

“It was the kind of match you look back on at the end of the season and forget you’ve even played in it,” said Joey Barton, QPR’s former Newcastle midfielder, who was on the wrong end of an outcome sealed by Moussa Sissoko rounding off an outstanding team move by steering the ball past Robert Green with 12 minutes remaining.

“We had a lot of new players at the start of the season, and it wasn’t easy for everyone to hit the ground running,” Sissoko said, forwarding his theory to explain the astonishing reversal in fortunes. The stand-in captain added: “It’s taken a little time, but we’ve worked hard in training to develop that understanding to help us play like we are now.”

The positive mood was further enhanced by Ryan Taylor revealing that he hopes to be back before Christmas after straining rather than, as at first feared, rupturing for a third time knee ligaments to curtail his first Premier League start for 32 months after barely half an hour.

It is just one defeat in ten games since Newcastle’s self-confessed nadir, the 4-0 loss away to Southampton in September, which could easily have mirrored the eight-goal humiliation suffered soon afterwards at St Mary’s

by Sunderland. “There was a change in attitude after that,” Jack Colback, the midfielder, said. “We got punished, and that day was an eye opener. It taught us a bit of a lesson about how we have to be and as players we looked at each other and said, ‘Look, we’re in a battle here’. We were struggling, but we’ve managed to turn it around.”

It is a tale of redemption that QPR could do with swiftly emulating, or risk leaving themselves in danger of being cast adrift in the fight for survival.

“They’re certainly three points we’d have liked in our current predicament,” said Barton, whose side prop up the division thanks to Burnley’s recent rally.

“Neither side was really at the races, and we felt we could have done a number on them.” Instead, the most significant numbers were those on the scoreboard, ones with an increasingly familiar ring to them: 1-0 to Newcastle. ratings Newcastle United (4-2-3-1): T Krul 7 — D Janmaat 7, M Williamson 6, P Dummett 6, M Haidara 6 — R Taylor 6 (sub: Y Gouffran, 34min 5), J Colback 6 — R Cabella 5 (sub: P Cissé, 68 4), M Sissoko 7, S Ameobi 6 — A Pérez 6 (sub: A Armstrong, 89). Substitutes not used: V Anita, F Ferreyra, R Elliot, R Streete. Booked: Sissoko, Armstrong.

Queens Park Rangers (4-4-2): R Green 6 — N Onuoha 4, R Dunne 5, S Caulker 5, Yun Suk Young 4 — J Barton 6, Sandro 5 (sub: N Kranjcar, 61 4), K Henry 6 (sub: D Hoilett, 82), L Fer 4 — R Zamora 4, C Austin 5. Substitutes not used: A Traoré, M Phillips, A McCarthy, M Isla, J Mutch.

Booked: Onuoha, Dunne, Zamora.

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50

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

the game 6 Barclays Premier League The Tony Awards

tony cascarino’s pick of the week

Eriksen ensures Spurs make most of life on the road oliver kay Chief Football Correspondent

The bench press

DWIGHT GAYLE

I’ve watched Dwight Gayle from his days at Dagenham, Peterborough and now Crystal Palace. He’s been coming off the bench a lot this season and has to play from the start rather than be a bit-part player. He could keep them up.

No more Mr Nice Guy

BRENDAN RODGERS

Liverpool’s manager is always forthcoming in his praise for his players. That’s fine while they’re doing well but times have changed and his side have slumped. He needs to be brave, forget last year and forget the praise.

Dangerous mixture JACK WILSHERE

The Arsenal midfielder shares some of the qualities of Paul Gascoigne and Roy Keane — but not the good ones. Like Gascoigne, he makes too many reckless challenges and he’s got Roy’s temper. He’s a terrific player but needs to eradicate this.

New year resolution MOUSSA SISSOKO

Newcastle United are bracing themselves for January bids for Moussa Sissoko, but Alan Pardew and Mike Ashley have to resist them. Sissoko drives the team and has been key to their good form.

The club must be strong and keep him.

Not home tweet home DARRAGH MACANTHONY

Darragh MacAnthony, the Peterborough chairman, has tweeted criticism of Darren Ferguson, his manager, for “setting up for a 0-0 at home”. Tony Fernandes at QPR used to do that but now keeps it in-house.

You can’t be an owner and act like a fan.

Hull City Livermore 8

Tottenham Hotspur Kane 61, Eriksen 90

Referee C Pawson Attendance 23,561

1 2

Emmanuel Adebayor is no one’s idea of a diplomat or indeed a spokesman for his profession, but perhaps he had a point when he said that Tottenham Hotspur are happier playing away from home these days. This was their third away victory in the Barclays Premier League this season, all three secured in the final moments of games that might feasibly have been lost.

A sceptic might also point out that all three of those away wins came against opponents reduced to ten men — Hull City were 1-0 up when they had Gastón Ramírez sent off early in the second half — but without question Tottenham chased down a deficit yesterday, as at Villa Park three weeks earlier, with a conviction and a zest that their supporters have rarely seen at White Hart Lane this term.

There had been a sense of inevitability about the outcome almost from the moment Ramírez was sent off for kicking out at Jan Vertonghen — not especially violently, but petulantly enough to merit what followed — in the 51st minute. Tottenham had been poor, but they pressed home their numerical advantage thereafter, with Christian Eriksen playing a significant part in the equaliser, scored by Harry Kane, before lashing home the decisive goal in the final minute of normal time.

Ramirez merited far less sympathy than the team he left behind. Hull had started brightly, taking an eighthminute lead through Jake Livermore, but the red card left them struggling.

After Tottenham’s 2-1 home defeat by Stoke City a fortnight earlier, Adebayor suggested that some of his team-mates had not wanted the ball because they had been fearful of a negative reaction from their own supporters. A back problem, after his return from international duty, meant that the Togolese was not on Humberside to see his home-and-away theory put to the test, but certainly, after an admittedly wretched first half-hour, there were signs that other players were following Eriksen’s lead in demanding the ball and trying to force the issue.

“This is our big question,” Mauricio Pochettino, the Tottenham head coach, said with regard to his team’s apparent mental block. “I try to explain that we need to change our mentality, to be more proactive. Sometimes we wait too much. This is where we need to improve.”

Initially, Tottenham were alarmingly

passive and the big regret for Steve Bruce and his Hull team was that they did not have a second goal to show for their early dominance.

Bruce expressed great satisfaction with the way that his team started, hustling and hassling Tottenham out of their stride and pressing forward in impressive style.

On eight minutes they took the lead through Livermore, one of their three former Tottenham players, who seized upon a poor header from Federico Fazio and drilled a powerful low shot into the far corner.

Hull should have further exploited Tottenham’s frailty. Midway through the first half, Nikica Jelavic escaped down the right and picked out Robbie Brady, whose first-time shot was saved superbly by Hugo Lloris. Moments later the Tottenham goalkeeper was extended again, by Ramírez, and when the ball ran free, Ben Arfa somehow cleared the crossbar.

Tottenham were helped considerably — and Hull severely hampered – by the sending-off. Few would class Ramírez’s reaction as “violent conduct” in the truest sense, but, clipped by a combination of Moussa Dembélé and Ben Davies, he invited the red card by flicking out a boot at Vertonghen, who is not one to spare the dramatics if it helps to make up the referee’s mind.

As Tottenham pushed forward, the

inevitable equaliser came on 61 minutes. Eriksen’s lovely curling free kick bounced back off a post and, with Allan McGregor, the Hull goalkeeper, stranded, Kane reacted quickest to convert the loose ball. As Gary Lineker, Turning point the former Tottenham and England The red card for Gastón Ramírez, of Hull, in forward, wrote on Twitter, Kane “has a the 50th minute allowed Tottenham to nose for goalscoring. He smells them. dominate and turn a deficit into a 2-1 victory You either have it or you don’t.”

Before and after Hull had Gastón Ramírez When Soldado spurned a simplesent off in the 50th minute looking chance a few minutes later, shooting wide when picked out by Tottenham Hull Vladimir Chiriches, Lineker added that Shots before the former Valencia forward “had it in 8 Spain, but handed it in at customs on his arrival.” At times it has been 10 tempting to wonder whether something Shots after similar has happened with Erik Lamela, who underlined his obvious talent by 2 waltzing past Liam Rosenior and 13 Michael Dawson, only to let himself Possession before down with a wayward shot.

Thankfully for Tottenham, Eriksen 34% still had something to declare. In the 66% final minute of normal time, receiving Possession after the ball from Lennon near the edge of the penalty area, he jinked into space, 16% 84% with Curtis Davies not getting close enough to him, and struck a perfect shot into McGregor’s bottom rightratings hand corner, sparking wild celebrations Hull City (4-2-3-1): A McGregor 6 — A Elmohamady 6, M Dawson 7, C Davies 6, A Robertson 6 — J Livermore 7, just like those that Tottenham’s T Huddlestone 6 (sub: L Rosenior, 65min 5) — H Ben Arfa 6 (sub: D Meyler, 57 5), G Ramirez 5, R Brady 7 (sub: S Quinn, supporters had enjoyed at Upton Park 87) — N Jelavic 6. Substitutes not used: S Harper, and Villa Park. The challenge for J Chester, A Hernández, Y Sagbo. Booked: Livermore, Huddlestone, Robertson. Sent off: Ramirez.

Pochettino and his players, as he said, is Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1); H Lloris 7 — E Dier 4 (sub: to replicate these away results in front V Chriches, 46 6), F Fazio 5, J Vertonghen 6, B Davies 7 — R Mason 7, M Dembélé 4 (sub: A Lennon, 59 7) — E Lamela of what can be a demanding home 7, H Kane 7, C Eriksen 8 — R Soldado 6 (sub: Paulinho, 79).

Substitutes not used: M Vorm, B Stambouli, C Ceballos, crowd.

D Ball. Booked: Dier.

Home from home: Eriksen scores with a precise shot in the last minute of normal time to claim victory for Tottenham at the KC Stadium yesterday TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER, BRADLEY ORMESHER

T

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the game 6 Barclays Premier League The silly season is nearly upon us, but don’t bet on those marquee signings

Tony Evans, Football Editor

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Bruce plea for common sense from officials arindam rej Steve Bruce, the Hull City manager, urged players to stop ruining the integrity of the Barclays Premier League after his team were reduced to ten men over a melodramatic reaction from Jan Vertonghen, the Tottenham Hotspur defender. Vertonghen collapsed in a heap, after a tame kick and strike from Gastón Ramírez, which led to the Hull forward being shown a straight red card.

Bruce admitted that Ramírez had been “petulant” but felt that the officials could have shown more “common sense” and booked the Hull player instead. Vertonghen had leant his knee into Ramírez, then put a hand on one of his boots as the Uruguyan tried to rise off the floor, and it led to the Hull player reacting. Vertonghen’s subsequent fall to the ground took place on a weekend when James Tomkins, of West Ham United, also reacted dramatically after a raised hand from Kevin Mirallas.

“Vertonghen is a big, strapping 6ft 2in centre back and he is rolling around as if he has been poleaxed,” Bruce said.

“That can’t be healthy for the Premier League. For me the reason the Premier League is loved around the world is the honesty of it, the integrity of it and the ferocity of it.

“I know it was petulant [from Ramírez], but can’t the referee and the linesmen use a bit of experience and say, ‘he has had a little tap at him and it is a yellow card’.

“The linesman should have a bit more about him. The big referees, the good ones, have a common sense about them. They let the game go. They realise these things happen.

“The letter of the law gets us in places where the whole spectacle changes. The letter of the law says it has got to be violent conduct.”

Mauricio Pochettino, the Tottenham head coach, described the end result as a “deserved victory”, although it was a disappointing performance from his men until the red card.

Pochettino added that Emmanuel Adebayor, who criticised the Tottenham supporters recently, has been suffering hamstring problems this weekend — since returning from international duty — leading to the striker’s absence from the squad.

Another player in the spotlight was Eric Dier, who was played at right back, despite publicly stating that he wants to be picked in central defence in the long term. Dier was taken off at half-time.

Pochettino explained the decision, saying: “He had a yellow card so we brought on Vlad [Chiriches].”

elcome to the season of unrealistic expectations. No, not the run-up to the festive period and dreams of unlikely gifts but the approaching transfer window and the accompanying demands for “marquee” signings.

The squawking will be loudest from fans of the so-called “big” teams who are competing for the Champions League qualifying positions, especially the underachieving sides who need to change the course of the season. In the popular imagination, all it takes is a wave of a chequebook and a deal is done. To believe that is to misunderstand the complexities of football and the men who play it.

Every year, there are players who capture the supporters’ attention and become objects of desire. Marco Reus has taken on this role this autumn and been linked with Manchester United and Chelsea.

The 25-year-old had an excellent World Cup. He plays for Borussia Dortmund, something of a selling club, and has a buyout clause that can be triggered next summer. Reus will most likely move to Bayern Munich and draw attention from Real Madrid and Barcelona. He has also suffered a series of injuries this season — including ankle ligament damage on Saturday that will keep him sidelined until January — that would make him a big-money gamble.

Even so, supporters of teams across the Barclays Premier League are demanding his presence. Every time John W Henry, Liverpool’s principal owner, tweets about any subject —

Whelan’s ignorance does Wigan no credit The worst part of the Dave Whelan controversy is that the Wigan Athletic chairman clearly does not believe that he has said anything wrong. The old bore radiates the bewildered attitude of a man who thinks he’s been entrapped by a conspiracy of “political correctness”.

“I’m absolutely antiracist, always have been, always will be,” he said, threatening to resign if the FA finds him guilty.

The evidence of Whelan’s statements during the week suggest that he does not understand the concept of racism. It smacks of wilful ignorance. It does the man and his club no credit.

Whelan cannot see that he is an ugly anachronism. The FA should send a very strong message that it understands that this is not blunt speaking. It’s blunt thinking.

politics, social issues, baseball — he is bombarded by replies saying: “Sign Reus.”

Just how Henry could go about securing the Germany midfielder’s signature on a contract at a club who are struggling to recapture last year’s form and reach the Champions League is anyone’s guess.

Good players look for a number of things when weighing up potential moves. Most put the possibility of trophies at the top of their list. Wages are important, but at the £200,000 per week level the odd ten grand can be less enticing than the right lifestyle. A club’s status also has an impact on decisions. Manchester United still have an edge over City in attracting players, although dropping out of Europe has levelled the field, at least for this year. In the long term, it will take winning the Champions League for City to earn similar levels of prestige to their neighbours.

Chelsea and Arsenal have an advantage in being able to offer life in London to newcomers. Alexis Sánchez was courted by Liverpool as well as Arsène Wenger. Why did the Chile forward choose the capital?

Aside from its status as one of the world’s most famous cities, he might have taken into account that there is a thriving Chilean expatriate community in London. If he was homesick on Merseyside, the only chilli he’d find would be on a kebab.

Some players from warmer climes struggle to cope with the weather.

They say all the right things in public but privately despair over the cold and rain. It is particularly difficult for those based in the damp north west.

After all, Mancunians get ground down by the weather. Why would Africans and Spaniards be different?

On the plus side from Premier League clubs, they have a spending power that can outgun most foreign teams. West Ham United can offer better wages than Italy’s biggest clubs.

Alex Song might have expected to move to the likes of Juventus or one of the Milan clubs when he left Barcelona. Instead, the midfielder found himself back in London.

The ability to outspend continental rivals will become more pronounced over the next few years, but the nonChampions League English clubs will still be second and third-choices for the better foreign players.

England may have the richest league in the world but that does not mean that the best players are queueing up to play in this country.

Supporters often think about the transfer window as if it was a computer game. It’s not and it’s unrealistic to think it is.

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

the game 6 Barclays Premier League

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Liverpool endure matt dickinson Chief Sports Correspondent

Crystal Palace

Gayle 17, Ledley 78, Jedinak 81

Liverpool

Lambert 2

Referee J Moss Attendance 24,862

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3 1

Liverpool’s previous trip to Selhurst Park is famous for the tears and the heartache, but that was almost fun compared with yesterday’s trauma. At least in May, Brendan Rodgers left with proud memories of a spirited campaign, a point and a position, albeit fragile, at the top of the table.

This time, a wretched afternoon offered nothing but misery. Liverpool departed 12th in the Barclays Premier League, and in such rotten form and confidence that even a relatively easy run of fixtures — Ludogorets, followed

by Stoke City, Leicester City and Sunderland — can offer scant reassurance. No opponent will fear Rodgers’s team when Palace can so easily lay bare all their failings amid the

downpour at Selhurst Park. For Rodgers, life is one long deluge just now.

The Liverpool manager was so low afterwards that a man who prides himself on upbeat communication almost mumbled through his press conference. At times inaudible, he cited a long list of reasons for Liverpool’s malaise but struggled to offer solutions.

He even admitted that he is “not so arrogant” that he can assume his job is safe.

It really should not come to the manager of the year fearing for his position only months later, and Rodgers deserves backing from his employers, but he did not look, or sound, like a man who has a ready answer to his team’s crisis of confidence.

Where to turn? In a floundering back line, Dejan Lovren is looking horribly expensive at £20 million, but is Kolo Touré really more reliable? Steven Gerrard looks a sad, slowing shadow of the great player of his prime, but will

ditching the captain not simply exacerbate the sense of alarm? Raheem Sterling was fitful yesterday but when Liverpool are so lacking in penetration, you cannot withdraw the best hope of creativity around the box. For every suggestion, a different problem.

So much has transpired since that epic 3-3. Palace have a new manager,

Ludogorets v Liverpool, Champions League group B, Wednesday, 7.45pm, Sky Sports 5 Ludogorets remain second in the Bulgarian league after drawing 1-1 away to CSKA Sofia, the leaders, via a first league goal in 14 months by Fábio Espinho, their Portuguese midfielder. Yordan Minev is available to face Liverpool after serving a one-game Champions League suspension.

and under Neil Warnock rather than Tony Pulis, find themselves in a relegation fight, but they are still capable of sensing weakness — especially in Liverpool — and exposing it with vigorous, quick counterattacks.

“Can we play you every week,” the Selhurst Park crowd gleefully sang by the end of an afternoon that was mediocre for long passages but started, and finished, with a bang.

It began with Liverpool taking the lead as early as the second minute, Rickie Lambert scoring on his first league start in place of the injured Mario Balotelli. Yet even as Lambert finished off a fine pass from Adam Lallana, who soon lost his way in midfield, Palace seemed to know that this was an afternoon when they could leap out of the relegation zone and a rut of poor results.

So it proved. Yannick Bolasie led the fightback and it summed up Liverpool’s problems that they made the Congo player look like Selhurst Park’s Ronaldo. Javier Manquillo never got to

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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the game 6 Barclays Premier League

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Rodgers says pressure will mount unless his team can halt the slide

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nick szczepanik

STATISTICS THAT DO NOT LIE

Liverpool’s points tally after 12 games. Only once (1992-93) have they had fewer at this stage since the change to three points for a win in 1981-82

Points Liverpool are away from the top of the table, three times as far as the gap to the bottom (six points)

3

3-1 defeats among Liverpool’s six away league games this season: to Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Manchester City

2

Successive games when Liverpool have taken the lead in the opening ten minutes only to lose: against Palace and Chelsea (2-1) Slipping up: Sterling, the Liverpool winger, is forced to ground by a crowded Palace defence in the rain at Selhurst Park yesterday

new indignity ANDREW POWELL/GETTY IMAGES

grips with the winger, who set up the 17th-minute equaliser when he cut inside. With Liverpool defenders standing off, his sharp shot hit a post and bounced back to Gayle to beat Simon Mignolet.

Both teams traded half-chances but, even as they dominated possession, Liverpool’s best hope was predictable balls floated on to the head of Lambert.

It was sad to watch Gerrard yesterday, and odd to think that Roy Hodgson was pleading with him only a few months ago to continue as England captain.

Joe Allen was the best of Liverpool’s midfield players, even after a cut to the head that required two shirt changes as the blood poured, but there was never any sense of authority from the visiting team.

Up front, Sterling and Philippe Coutinho were involved only sporadically. As for that horrible defence, the second Palace goal, with 12 minutes remaining, was Liverpool’s season in microcosm.

They had a free kick deep inside their own territory but Mignolet hoicked it into touch like an amateur hacker duck-hooking off the tee.

From the throw-in, Bolasie cleverly flicked the ball over Lovren’s head — quite why the centre half was out on the touchline only he can answer — and left the defender stumbling. The cutback was perfectly weighted for Joe Ledley, who had surged forward while Gerrard and Sterling stood idly. Neat from Palace, wretched from Liverpool.

When Skrtel tugged Gayle’s shirt soon afterwards, Jedinak stepped up to hit a wonderful 25-yard free kick into the top corner that confirmed victory for a team bought at a cost of less than £15 million. Palace had elevated a mediocre game and plunged Liverpool even deeper into their crisis of lost confidence.

It is very easy to be critical of Liverpool just now and, on Sky, Jamie Carragher was not sparing. He talked of his old club “getting bullied out of games, mentally and physically weak”.

Liverpool won just one tackle between the 60th and 80th minutes, as well as conceding two goals, a damning statistic that highlighted just how badly they have lost their zest.

Strikingly, Carragher talked of there being “no leadership on the pitch”, which is quite something from such a close friend of Gerrard’s, but no one could dispute a word of his critique.

Liverpool’s problems are easy to spot because there are so many of them, beyond the loss of Luis Suárez and the long-term injury to Daniel Sturridge.

Solutions? To judge from Rodgers’s grim mood, they are thin on the ground. ratings

Crystal Palace (4-4-2): J Speroni 5 — M Kelly 4, S Dann 6, D Delaney 5 (sub: B Hangeland, 36 6), J Ward 6 — J Puncheon 6 (sub: J McArthur, 76), M Jedinak 7, J Ledley 7, J Bolasie 8 (sub: B Bannan, 86) — D Gayle 7, M Chamakh 6.

Substitutes not used: W Hennessey, F Campbell, W Zaha, A Johnson. Booked: Delaney.

Liverpool (4-3-1-2): S Mignolet 5— J Manquillo 4, M Skrtel 4, D Lovren 4, G Johnson 4— A Lallana 5 (sub: F Borini, 72), S Gerrard 4, J Allen 6 (sub: E Can, 74) — P Coutinho 5 — R Lambert 5, R Sterling 5. Substitutes not used: B Jones, K Touré, A Moreno, Lucas Leiva, L Markovic. Booked: Manquillo, Skrtel.

Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager, admitted after his team’s 3-1 defeat away to Crystal Palace that he cannot consider his position secure despite leading the club to second place in the Barclays Premier League last season.

Liverpool lie 18 points behind Chelsea, the leaders, their worst position at this stage of any but two previous Premier League campaigns, and gives Rodgers a challenge in rebuilding confidence before Wednesday’s match away to Ludogorets in Bulgaria, which they must win to have a chance of progressing to the Champions League knockout stages.

“I’m not arrogant enough to think that I will be in a job through anything,” Rodgers said. “Any manager will tell you that you have to get results.

I have great communication with the owners and we’ve always been honest and open enough with each other, but ultimately you have to get results and you have to perform.

“Owners and directors and chairmen and chief executives have to see development on the field. Barring this sort of period, our development has been very good and fast. But there’s no doubt as a manager you have to get results. Now I have to fight even harder and take the responsibility. As manager, the responsibility comes down to me and any pressure comes on to me.”

Rodgers could not have asked for a better start, Rickie Lambert giving his side the lead in the second minute, but he acknowledged that Palace looked hungrier after that. “It was bitterly disappointing, nowhere near the levels we’d expect, after a very good start,” he said. “Overall, that intensity and togetherness in our game isn’t there.

We have to put it right very quickly because we have a massive game in midweek, and a busy schedule ahead.

We have to do better. That’s down to me to coach and manage that. That’s what I’ll continue to fight to do.”

Raheem Sterling was overshadowed

by Yannick Bolasie, who created two goals. “He’s played a lot of games, had lots of pressure on a young player,” Rodgers said. “He’s a marked player now, not an unknown. People know his quality and how good he is. But Raheem is like the team at the moment.

It’s a difficult time.”

Neil Warnock, the Palace manager, was exultant after his second victory since taking charge in September and first in six matches. “More like a Neil Warnock team, that,” he said. “The weather helped. The goal could have knocked the stuffing out of us, but the way we played, constructed not kick and rush, we created some good chances. Today we took our chances and got our rewards.”

What we learnt this week rory smith

Mackay’s slip of the tongue

Malky Mackay really should judge his words more carefully. “You’ve had your pound of flesh from me this week,” the Wigan manager told reporters on Saturday.

We’re not sure how that phrase will go down with all of Dave Whelan’s Jewish friends.

Wilshere ticks all the boxes

Missing a golden opportunity, completely unnecessarily risking a red card, and departing the field with an injury: Jack Wilshere’s Saturday evening performance of “My Career in Microcosm” was faultless.

Feeding frenzy for Fellaini Mind you, on a sidenote, watch that incident again.

Marouane Fellaini appears to instigate it by trying to swallow Jack Wilshere whole. A mistake, Marouane: Wilshere almost certainly wouldn’t taste quite as good as he looks.

Cooking your own goose

Well done Manuel Pellegrini for suggesting that Pep Guardiola would do well in the Premier League. This is the first recorded case of a turkey not just voting for Christmas, but providing his own cooking instructions.

Madness in the method Great to see Liverpool being linked with Nathan Redmond and Saido Berahino. What’s that phrase about the definition of madness?

Cover image: Steve Bardens/Getty Images

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Sport

Revenge not so sweet Tony Bellew feeling sore despite settling score with Nathan Cleverly

Crowning glory King Lewis II gets royal seal of approval from admiring Prince Harry

Boxing, page 56

Formula One, pages 62-64

Henderson looks to pick up pace after steady start Alan Lee Racing Correspondent

One of the juggernaut jumps stables is starting to farm the big Saturday races once more and anticipating a notable landmark. The other is still seeking to get this season properly started. The sleeping giant that is Nicky Henderson, however, may finally be ready to join battle with Paul Nicholls.

Henderson traditionally plays a patient game but he is deeply frustrated that his Lambourn yard has yet to make an impression on the leading races.

This week, he said yesterday, is pivotal, with a big team today on the Kempton Park track he dominates, followed by key runners at both Newbury and Newcastle on Saturday.

Having arrived at Ascot on Saturday declaring he had no chance of a winner and going home with a cross-card treble, Henderson is far from downcast.

However, he said: “It’s fair to say all has not gone smoothly. When every horse is fit and going well, the job is easy but we’ve had lots of niggly things delay us — it’s been two steps forward and one back.

Kempton Park Rob Wright

12.35 Arzal 2.45 Real Milan 1.05 River Maigue 3.15 New Horizons 1.35 Alberobello 3.45 Germany Calling 2.10 Polly Peachum Thunderer’s double 2.10 Polly Peachum (nap).

2.45 Benefit Cut. Going: soft (heavy on bend adjacent to lake) Racing UK

12.35 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Novices' Hurdle (£3,899: 2m) (9)

1 ALPHABET BAY 187 (D) W Greatrex 4-10-12 D C Costello 22-2 ARZAL 19 H Whittington 4-10-12 R Johnson 300-4 BAY FORTUNA 13 M Usher 5-10-12 D Crosse 54F EMPTY THE TANK 14 N Twiston-Davies 4-10-12 R Hatch (5) B13-0 GAMAIN 18 B Case 5-10-12 D Jacob 0-3 TIGER FEAT 187 A King 4-10-12 G Tumelty 2132 UPTENDOWNONE 52 G L Moore 5-10-12 J E Moore 41-34 VODKA 'N TONIC 167 N Henderson 5-10-12 D Bass 1/2- WEST WIZARD 364 (C,D,BF) N Henderson 5-10-12 B J Geraghty

6-4 West Wizard, 5-2 Arzal, 5-1 Uptendownone, 8-1 Alphabet Bay, 11-1 Vodka 'n Tonic, 16-1 Tiger Feat, 20-1 Empty The Tank, 33-1 Gamain, 100-1 Bay Fortuna.

Rob Wright’s choice: Arzal was unlucky at Chepstow and can make amends Dangers: West Wizard, Alphabet Bay

1.05 1 2 3 4 5

Beginners' Chase (£4,549: 2m) (5)

325-0 FAIR LOCH 40 (T,D) K Burke 6-11-0 D Jacob /211- FAYETTE COUNTY 244 (D) T Vaughan 7-11-0 D C Costello 0/3P- RIVER MAIGUE 317 (C,D) N Henderson 7-11-0 B J Geraghty 2403/ TANGO DE JUILLEY 632 Miss V Williams 6-11-0 A Coleman 53F-4 TED SPREAD 23 (T) Miss S Smith 7-11-0 Tom O'Brien

6-5 River Maigue, 3-1 Fayette County, 9-2 Tango De Juilley, 11-2 Ted Spread, 12-1 Fair Loch.

Wright choice: River Maigue, a winning point-to-pointer, was the pick of these over hurdles Danger: Tango De Juilley

1.35

Handicap Hurdle (£3,899: 3m 110y) (8)

R Johnson 1 3F-23 NEVILLE 29 (BF) P Hobbs 6-11-12 T Cannon 2 64-F1 LETEMGO 29 G Smyly 6-11-8 N Scholfield 3 206-4 ALBEROBELLO 12 (T,D) J Scott 6-11-7 Tom O'Brien 4 65214 ONE MORE TUNE 37 Paul Henderson 6-11-7 B J Geraghty 5 P35-3 MISTER SNOWBALL 34 C Down 7-11-4 M Nolan (3) 6 55-040 MALIBU ROCK 1 Miss S Smith 6-11-1 Killian Moore (3) 7 0P/00 SILMI 29 Mrs S Leech 10-10-11 J E Moore 8 16-40 MY LORD 26F (H) L Dace 6-10-11 100-30 Letemgo, 7-2 Neville, 4-1 Alberobello, 5-1 Mister Snowball, 7-1 Malibu Rock, 9-1 My Lord, 10-1 One More Tune, 20-1 Silmi.

Wright choice: Alberobello, second in this race a year ago, can go one better in a weaker renewal Dangers: Letemgo, Neville

Rob Wright’s midday update thetimes.co.uk/sportsbook

“Our horses have needed their first run more than expected but I do feel we’re getting there now. Yesterday’s winners showed that and this next week will tell us a lot more.”

Henderson’s significant runners today include West Wizard, whose huge home reputation has survived a defeat at 1-6 on his hurdling debut exactly a year ago. Injury has delayed atonement but he is high in the betting for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Weekend highlights for the yard will include a dual assault on the Hennessy Gold Cup. “Triolo D’Alene and Hadrian’s Approach will both run, just as they did last year,” the trainer said.

“I’d got a run into Triolo before he won and I haven’t managed that this time, but both horses had a spin around Kempton last week.”

Henderson says he still has decisions to make regarding Simonsig and Bobs Worth, whose likely comeback is over hurdles at Newbury on Saturday. “It looks a hot race but he has to start somewhere,” he said.

Sprinter Sacre’s comeback in the 888sport Tingle Creek Chase next 2.10 1 2 3 4 5 6

JORDAN MANSFIELD / GETTY IMAGES

Seizing his chance: Big Hands Harry, ridden by Nico de Boinville, en route to giving Henderson one of three Saturday wins in the novices’ handicap chase at Ascot

week remains in doubt, pending a racecourse gallop, but Henderson is hoping that Sign Of A Victory can step up to grade one company in the StanJames.com Fighting Fifth Hurdle on Saturday. “I’m going to confirm him tomorrow and hope Nigel [TwistonDavies] doesn’t turn The New One out again,” he said.

Nicholls will be unrepresented in that race, so must wait a little longer to bid for a 100th grade one success. His 99th came with the authoritative

Mares' Hurdle

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Handicap Chase

(£9,747: 2m 4f 110y) (8)

23262 KING EDMUND 3 (T,CD) C Gordon 11-11-12 T Cannon 1P1-F BENEFIT CUT 29 (T,C,D) Mrs P Robeson 8-11-12 Joshua Moore 4U3U/ TENOR NIVERNAIS 622 (D) Miss V Williams 7-11-9 A Coleman 2P23- REAL MILAN 222 (T,D) Anabel Murphy 9-11-5 R Johnson -3031 FRONTIER SPIRIT 43 (V,D) N Twiston-Davies 10-11-2 R Hatch (5) 12-3P ROC D'APSIS 25 (D) T George 5-11-0 A P Cawley 53-02 VISION DES CHAMPS 21 (D) G L Moore 5-10-0 J E Moore 1-33F LORD LANDEN 38 (T,D) Fergal O'Brien 9-10-0 C Shoemark (3)

4-1 Frontier Spirit, King Edmund, 5-1 Benefit Cut, 13-2 Real Milan, Tenor Nivernais, Vision Des Champs, 10-1 Lord Landen, Roc D'Apsis.

Wright choice: Real Milan was a good third to Buywise at Cheltenham in April Dangers: King Edmund, Tenor Nivernais

3.15 1 2 3 4 5 6

Novices' Hurdle

(£3,119: 2m 5f) (6)

15-F1 BROTHER TEDD 21 (CD) P Hobbs 5-11-5 2- ABITOFBOB 236 Miss E Lavelle 5-10-12 345-3 DASHAWAY 12 J Scott 5-10-12 43-40 HURRICANE VIC 34 A King 4-10-12 2 NEW HORIZONS 173 N Henderson 4-10-12 /416- SO OSCAR 245 (T) Mrs L Hill 6-10-12

R Johnson A Coleman N Scholfield T Bellamy (5) B J Geraghty D Bass

15-8 Brother Tedd, 100-30 New Horizons, 9-2 Abitofbob, 6-1 So Oscar, 8-1 Dashaway, 10-1 Hurricane Vic.

Wright choice: New Horizons stayed on well in a Fontwell bumper and this longer trip will suit Danger: Brother Tedd

3.45 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle (£5,393: 2m) (8)

16P0- LOUGH KENT 255 (D) N Henderson 5-11-12 N De Boinville (3) 0-113 GERMANY CALLING 31 (T,D,BF) C Longsdon 5-11-9 C Deutsch (6) 242-6 THEINVAL 16 N Henderson 4-11-2 J McGrath (3) 1-23 AZABITMOUR 33 (D) Miss S Smith 4-11-1 M Nolan 2/5-0 RED INCA 24 (P,D) B Ellison 6-11-1 N Moscrop (6) 22-43 VERY NOBLE 21 (T) C Gordon 5-11-0 Killian Moore 14 BISHOP WULSTAN 24 (B,D) H Whittington 3-10-2 Paul N O'Brien (8) 54554 LYSSIO 13 (B,D) Jim Best 7-10-2 J Sherwood (3)

4-1 Red Inca, 9-2 Germany Calling, 5-1 Lough Kent, Theinval, 13-2 Azabitmour, 15-2 Lyssio, 8-1 Bishop Wulstan, 11-1 Very Noble.

Wright choice: Germany Calling has improved this season and remains unexposed Dangers: Very Noble, Lyssio Blinkered first time: Wolverhampton 3.35 Toptempo.

4.05 New Abbey Dancer, Fast Scat.

Random (5.05 Wolverhampton) Powered home when winning here last time and step up in trip will suit

12.50 Father Edward 2.55 Buddy Love (nb) 1.20 Tistory 3.25 Princesse Katie 1.50 Chicoria 3.55 Midnight Mint 2.20 Sir Valentino Going: good to soft (soft in places) Racing UK

12.50

Maiden Hurdle (£3,899: 2m) (16)

30 AIR OF GLORY 164 (T) M Bosley 4-11-0 W Kennedy ALLNECESSARYFORCE 14F A Hales 4-11-0 K K Woods 2-0 BATHS WELL 23 B Pauling 4-11-0 J M Maguire 0/ BOLD DUKE 36F E Bevan 6-11-0 P John (7) CRUISING ALONG 485F B Summers 4-11-0 J Hodson (7) 16-25 FATHER EDWARD 29 J Ferguson 5-11-0 S Twiston-Davies 42-25 GO ODEE GO 33 D Skelton 6-11-0 H Skelton 23-56 INK MASTER 19 P Hobbs 4-11-0 J Best 11 JACK FROST 18 (C,D) N Henderson 4-11-0 Peter Carberry (3) 366-P KIBO 39 (H) K Bailey 4-11-0 E Cookson (5) 224 NAVANMAN 11 D Pipe 5-11-0 T Scudamore 0-300 PRIVATE JONES 15 Miss I Pickard 5-11-0 J Banks (3) RING OF FIRE 27F B Ellison 5-11-0 D Cook 4- SHARENI 354 D Rees 5-11-0 P Moloney SMIRFY'S SILVER 41F M Mullineaux 10-11-0 B Poste (5) 60-3 CATCHAROSE 33 J Mason 4-10-7 Felix De Giles

2.55 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1 2 3 4 5 6

Beginners' Chase (£5,848: 2m 4f) (6)

006-0 CITIZENSHIP 38 Miss V Williams 8-11-2 2F535 HOLD COURT 86 (C) E Williams 7-11-2 13-14 LAC SACRE 43 (T,B) J Flint 5-11-2 0112- PURE OXYGEN 225P H Fry 6-11-2 121P- TISTORY 234 (C,D) N Henderson 7-11-2 00-26 TUROYAL 159 Miss L Hurley 6-11-2

L Treadwell P Moloney R Flint N Fehily A Tinkler E Cookson (5)

Evens Tistory, 7-2 Hold Court, 6-1 Pure Oxygen, 7-1 Lac Sacre, 8-1 others.

1.50 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Novices' Hurdle (£3,899: 2m 5f) (12)

446-1 CHICORIA 29 H Daly 5-11-5 J Greenall 51-3 DESTINY'S GOLD 38 G Baker 4-10-12 A Tinkler 2-5 EWINGS 21 B Pauling 4-10-12 J M Maguire 221-6 FREDDY FOX 25 B Case 4-10-12 Mr M Kendrick (7) P521- HORSEHILL 217P O Sherwood 5-10-12 L Aspell IF IT BE YOUR WILL D Skelton 4-10-12 H Skelton 6-0 KINGS RIVER 19 Miss V Williams 5-10-12 L Treadwell 0-5 PADDY MULLIGAN 25 J Ferguson 5-10-12 S Twiston-Davies 5-6 STAND ASIDE 24 Jonjo O'Neill 4-10-12 R McLernon 35-4 SUPERIOR FIRE 22 C Longsdon 4-10-12 N Fehily 000- TINOS TANK 240 H Parrott 5-10-12 W Kennedy /30-0 TITANS APPROACH 41 G McPherson 5-10-12 P Moloney

7-4 Chicoria, 4-1 Destiny's Gold, 11-2 Superior Fire, 6-1 Horsehill, 10-1 others.

2.20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Handicap Chase (£11,394: 2m) (7)

121-3 LE BACARDY 203 (P,D) A Carroll 8-11-12 T Whelan (3) 53-52 OYSTER SHELL 40 (CD,BF) H Daly 7-11-7 J Greenall 2UP-0 LAST SHOT 10 (CD) Miss V Williams 7-11-3 L Treadwell 2F1-5 SIR VALENTINO 19 (D) T George 5-11-3 P Brennan 14-61 ARKAIM 15 (D) Mrs P Sly 6-11-1 K K Woods 1-655 IT'S A MANS WORLD 23 (D) B Ellison 8-10-10 D Cook 4330/ SATU 682F (D) Lady Brooke 10-10-2 Miss L Brooke (7)

7-2 Arkaim, Last Shot, Oyster Shell, 4-1 Sir Valentino, 9-2 Le Bacardy, 8-1 It's A Mans World, 100-1 Satu.

Novices' Handicap Chase (£6,498: 3m) (8)

50P-4 FISHING BRIDGE 15 D Rees 9-11-12 P Moloney 20-01 ROYAL PALLADIUM 13 Miss V Williams 6-11-12 L Treadwell d-421 BUDDY LOVE 7 (D) N Twiston-Davies 7-11-3 S Twiston-Davies -21P0 WHO AM I 43 (H) Mrs D Hamer 8-11-2 Mr B Moorcroft (5) 0-132 SHINOOKI 18 A Hales 7-11-2 K K Woods 02144 MAC LE COUTEAU 27 (H) E Williams 6-10-10 A Wedge 000-4 MOORLANDS GEORGE 11 J Scott 6-10-9 Matt Griffiths (3) 6F-42 KHAZIUM 7 (T,P,C) Miss C Dyson 5-10-3 T Whelan (3)

6-4 Buddy Love, 6-1 Mac Le Couteau, 13-2 Royal Palladium, Shinooki, 7-1 Moorlands George, 8-1 Fishing Bridge, 12-1 Khazium, 16-1 Who Am I.

3.25

11-4 Jack Frost, 7-2 Father Edward, 5-1 Navanman, 6-1 Go Odee Go, 7-1 others.

1.20

Ruby Walsh seems to wear a permanent grin these days and the matter is simply explained. Few jockeys can ever have had so many high-class horses to anticipate and Walsh concluded an exemplary weekend with one of the best, Vautour cruising to victory on his chasing debut at Navan yesterday.

Vautour’s unbeaten novice hurdling season included a spectacular Cheltenham Festival win and Walsh believes the potential is unlimited.

“He’s a brilliant horse and I would say trip is of little consequence,” he said.

Although now based permanently in Ireland, Walsh expects to be in England “most Saturdays” and made full use of his Ascot trip this weekend, riding winners for Harry Fry and Paul Nicholls before the impressive Coral Hurdle success of Faugheen for Willie Mullins.

The ammunition available to Mullins and Walsh, largely in the colours of the British-based owner Rich Ricci, must be frightening all rivals. Those set to be reintroduced this week include Un De Sceaux, Annie Power and Djakadam.

No starker contrast could be provided than the plight of Mullins’s near neighbour, Philip Fenton. His descent from training the ante-post Gold Cup favourite in March was completed on Saturday by a three-year ban for possession of banned substances.

Bet of the day

Rob Wright

Wright choice: Polly Peachum won well at Wincanton and will be hard to beat if handling this ground Danger: Carole’s Spirit

6 7 8

Betfair Chase victory of Silviniaco Conti. Combined with the Ascot victory of Al Ferof, this gave Nicholls the two featured Saturday chases for a second successive week.

“Both horses had stomach ulcers in the spring,” he said. “We tested the entire yard and found 40 per cent of the horses were suffering, ten per cent seriously. We’ve cleared that problem and these are two very good horses — both will go straight to the King George now.”

Ludlow

(Listed: £14,238: 3m 110y) (6)

2-1 Polly Peachum, 4-1 Mayfair Music, 9-2 Carole's Spirit, Clara Mc Cloud, L'Unique, 22-1 Cnoc Seoda.

1 2 3 4 5

Vautour victory brings Walsh further cheer Alan Lee

1112- CAROLE'S SPIRIT 310 R Walford 6-11-6 D Jacob /511- MAYFAIR MUSIC 268 (D) N Henderson 5-11-6 D Bass 112-1 POLLY PEACHUM 16 (C) N Henderson 6-11-2 B J Geraghty 13231 CLARA MC CLOUD 11 (T,D) G Elliott (Ire) 6-10-12 R Johnson 3P33- CNOC SEODA 237 (T,D) Paul Henderson 9-10-12 Tom O'Brien 21-5U L'UNIQUE 30 (C) A King 5-10-12 A Coleman

2.45

Monday November 24 2014 | the times

Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle

(£3,899: 3m) (12)

035-0 GRAND GIGOLO 19 I Williams 5-11-12 M Linehan -UFU5 IN THE GATE 21 C Longsdon 6-11-11 J Best 0553- HAND ON BACH 228 (T,P) W Greatrex 6-11-11 C M Walsh (8) 4/F52 TOOT SWEET 26 (BF) H Daly 7-11-10 F Mitchell (3) /PF-0 WHICHEVER 18 R Phillips 8-11-6 D Hiskett (6) 21P05 PENNANT DANCER 11 (T,D) Mrs D Hamer 7-11-3 P John (5) 0-500 TISFREETDREAM 146 (P,C,D) P Pritchard 13-10-10 J Bargary (5) C Ring 8 -2654 DO BE DASHING 18 (T) G McPherson 6-10-9 9 0531- PRINCESSE KATIE 364 (T,CD) James Bennett 8-10-5 T Garner J Hodson (3) 10 -4515 MASSACHUSETTS 25 (T) B Summers 7-10-5 J Palmowski (8) 11 300-5 YOUNG LOU 11 (P) R Dickin 5-10-0 T Whelan 12 45633 WHEELAVIT 11 (T) Miss C Dyson 11-10-0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

7-2 Hand On Bach, 4-1 Princesse Katie, 6-1 In The Gate, Toot Sweet, 10-1 Do Be Dashing, Grand Gigolo, 14-1 Pennant Dancer, Wheelavit, 16-1 others.

3.55

Mares' Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (£3,249: 2m) (7)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

10 BENGALI 26 (BF) D Pipe 5-11-5 T Scudamore 2-6 BELLE DE LONDRES 191 W Greatrex 4-10-12 C M Walsh (7) 6 BLACKDOWN HILLS 33 J Snowden 4-10-12 B Powell BUFFLERS HOLT P Webber 5-10-12 L Treadwell 4 COCO DES CHAMPS 33 O Sherwood 4-10-12 L Aspell MIDNIGHT MINT J Scott 4-10-12 S Twiston-Davies TIMON'S TARA R Dickin 5-10-12 C Poste

10-11 Bengali, 7-2 Belle De Londres, 8-1 Coco Des Champs, 10-1 Bufflers Holt, Midnight Mint, 16-1 Blackdown Hills, 20-1 Timon's Tara.

6 Croco Bay, a 19-length winner at Ascot on Saturday, has the Topham Chase at Aintree next spring as a possible objective.

Yesterday’s results Exeter Going: heavy 1.05 (2m 5f 110yd hdle) 1, Bredon Hill Lad (Miss L Gardner, 9-4 fav); 2, Legion D'honneur (8-1); 3, Unefille De Guye (7-2). 9 ran. Ol, Kl. Mrs S Gardner.

1.35 (2m 7f 110yd hdle) 1, Absolutely Bygones (James Best, 13-2); 2, Obistar (6-4 fav); 3, Tara Tavey (12-1). 6 ran. Kl, 1l. Miss J Du Plessis.

2.05 (3m ch) 1, Russe Blanc (C Poste, 6-1); 2, Roll The Dice (5-1); 3, Big Society (11-4 jt-fav).

Jupiter Rex (pu) 11-4 jt-fav. 7 ran. Nk, 2l. R Lee. 2.35 (3m ch) 1, Return Spring (R Johnson, 4-1); 2, Highland Retreat (5-6 fav); 3, Kaki De La Pree (9-4). 4 ran. Nk, 19l. P Hobbs.

3.05 (2m 1f 110yd ch) 1, Headly's Bridge (P J Brennan, 4-1); 2, Lord Protector (3-1); 3, Whispering Harry (7-2). Upepito (4th) 11-4 fav. 5 ran. 2Nl, sh hd. Simon Earle.

3.35 (2m 1f hdle) 1, Pull The Chord (R Johnson, 8-11 fav); 2, An Tarbh Og (8-1); 3, Tom Neary (14-1). 10 ran. NR: Ma'ire Rua. 12l, 2Kl. P Hobbs.

4.05 (2m 1f hdle) 1, Thundering Home (Thomas Bellamy, 7-1); 2, Kozmina Bay (9-1); 3, Xaarcet (5-4 fav). 8 ran. 1Nl, 7l. N Mitchell.

Placepot: £105.30.

Quadpot: £29.10.

Towcester Going: soft (heavy in places) 12.45 (2m hdle) 1, Quiet Candid (J McGrath, 11-4); 2, Ballyhollow (4-9 fav); 3, Stand ‘n’ Boogie (16-1). 8 ran. NR: Bonnie Major, Glenariff. 12l, 5l. N Henderson.

1.15 (2m 3f 110yd ch) 1, Carhue Princess (Benjamin Poste, 5-1); 2, I Know The Code (5-2 fav); 3, Wheelavher (7-1). 8 ran. 4l, 11l.

T Symonds.

1.45 (2m hdle) 1, Yasir (Peter Carberry, 16-1); 2, Gud Day (3-1); 3, Formal Bid (11-8 fav). 5 ran.

3l, 8l. C Dore.

2.15 (3m 110yd ch) 1, Union Jack D’ycy (L Treadwell, 5-6 fav); 2, Ringa Bay (9-2). 4 ran.

NR: Friendly Society, Winds And Waves, Wolf Hall. 9l. Only two finished. Miss V Williams.

2.45 (3m hdle) 1, American Life (James Banks, 4-1); 2, Lock Towers (12-1); 3, Royale Knight (3-1 fav). 7 ran. NR: Cadeau George, Westaway.

22l, 16l. A Middleton.

3.15 (2m 110yd ch) 1, Grand Article (Miss G Andrews, 9-4 fav); 2, Top Benefit (11-1); 3, Wicklewood (7-2). 6 ran. 10l, 5l. P Cowley.

3.45 (2m flat) 1, Lettheriverrundry (Brendan Powell, 5-2); 2, Big Mike (10-3); 3, Amidon (7-1). Big Jim (4th) 11-8 fav. 5 ran.

NR: Toohighforme. 2Ol, 3l. B Powell.

Jackpot: not won (pool of £9,773.78 carried forward to Wolverhampton today).

Placepot: £166.50.

Quadpot: £84.60.

the times | Monday November 24 2014

55

FGM

Golden shot puts Stenson back in the winner’s circle Golf

Ron Lewis Dubai

Henrik Stenson overcame a mid-round wobble yesterday to retain his title at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai and move up to No 2 in the world rankings.

The Swede, who had started the final round tied for the lead, dropped three strokes in four holes around the turn and hit a wild drive on the 11th into a building site. But a wonder shot on the 17th set up the first of two birdies on the final two holes and a round of 70, for a 16-under-par total of 272, giving him victory by two strokes from Victor Dubuisson, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose, with Shane Lowry a shot back in fifth.

Stenson’s chances seemed to be slipping away when he went wide right with a “slice, shank” on the par-four 11th, which he double-bogeyed. A bold putt from 12 feet on the 12th began a run of five straight pars before, with the tournament seemingly heading for a three-way play-off, his tee-shot at the par-three 17th finished two feet from the hole to set up victory.

There is a plaque on the 18th fairway on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates that marks the spot where Stenson played last season’s shot of the year, a three-wood from 248 yards to within five feet to wrap up the title.

“That one pretty much won me the tournament,” Stenson said. “It makes a

Stenson overcame a poor run of holes around the turn to retain his crown

huge difference coming up the [parfive] last having a one-shot cushion and having the luxury then to play it as a three-shot. Even if I won’t get a plaque, it still means a lot to me. I can’t have plaques on every hole.”

For much of the round, it had seemed that Stenson and Rafael Cabrera-Bello would fight out the finish. When Stenson drove out of bounds on the 11th, Cabrera-Bello held a two-shot lead. But things quickly unravelled for the Spaniard, who dropped a shot at the 12th, before his hopes went crashing with double-bogeys on the 16th and 17th.

Stenson put his tee-shot left into the

crowd on the 18th, but after finding the middle of the fairway with his second, his approach finished 15 feet from the hole and he sank the putt for a birdie.

Rose had another up-and-down day before three successive birdies from the 14th pushed him to 14 under par. Being bold on the last, though, his second shot missed the green wide right and he missed a testing 15-foot putt for a birdie.

McIlroy seemed to have blown his chance with back-to-back doublebogeys on Saturday, but was in a share of the lead after birdies on the 14th and 15th. Luck was with him on the 18th, when his drive hit a rock in the middle of the stream and bounced 50 yards farther up the fairway, but his next shot hit the front of the grandstand and he had to settle for par.

“I just didn’t play well enough to win this week, and if I had won by playing like that, it would have been a bit of a surprise,” McIlroy said. “In seasons gone by, a bad week for me would have been middle of the pack or battling to make the cut. I didn’t feel like I played great at all today and still went around bogey-free, shot 68. Something I’m really pleased about this year is that consistency I’ve shown. I haven’t finished outside the top 25.”

The focus is already on the Masters, where McIlroy will be aiming to complete a career grand slam. “I started thinking about Augusta on August 18 when I won the US PGA,” he said.

Switzerland have the final word thanks to Federer Tennis

Scott Rutherford

A week that began with Roger Federer seemingly at war with his principal team-mate and so badly incapacitated that he was rated doubtful to play ended with Switzerland celebrating their first Davis Cup triumph yesterday.

Federer, the 17-time grand-slam singles champion, claimed the only leading trophy missing from his collection by beating Richard Gasquet in the first reverse singles in Lille, his 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory giving Switzerland an unassailable 3-1 lead over France.

It was after Federer had withdrawn from the final of the ATP World Tour Finals in London last Sunday because of a back injury that stories started circulating of a fallout with Stan Wawrinka, his compatriot, apparently caused by comments made by Mirka, Federer’s wife.

However, in the wake of yesterday’s triumph, Federer, 33, had nothing but praise for his younger team-mate. “I’m happy I was able to stay calm and play a good match, and I’m really happy for the guys in the team,” Federer said. “Everybody

Sport worked incredibly hard to get me match ready. Stan has put in so much effort over the years and played an unbelievable weekend that gave me the opportunity today. I’m very much aware of that. This one is for the boys.”

Federer and Wawrinka had put Switzerland into a 2-1 lead on Saturday, with a straight-sets defeat of Gasquet and Julien Benneteau in the doubles.

Federer was thrashed by Gaël Monfils in his first singles match on Friday, but said that his back was improving and did not face a break point against Gasquet yesterday. He fell on his knees after converting his first match point and laid face down on the court before hugging Severin Lüthi, the Switzerland captain, and his team-mates.

“It’s not for me, I’ve won enough in my career and did not need to tick any empty boxes,” Federer said. “I’m just happy for everybody else. I’m happy we could live a great tennis historic moment in our country.”

Wawrinka savoured the irony of the situation after the troubled start to the week for his team. “We saw how quickly things changed,” he said. “At the start of the week the papers were full with stories about Roger’s back and the French team being ready to go to war. At the end of the day, we saw the opposite. We handled the tie as usual, with a lot of discussions between us.”

It was France’s third defeat in their past three finals, after losses at home to Russia in 2002 and away to Serbia in 2010.

Federer’s participation had been in doubt last week

Results Basketball National Basketball Association: Atlanta 99 Detroit 89; Charlotte 100 Orlando 105; Dallas 140 LA Lakers 106; Denver 117 New Orleans 97; Golden State 101 Utah 88; Memphis 117 Boston 100; Minnesota 92 San Antonio 121; Oklahoma 92 Brooklyn 94; Philadelphia 96 Phoenix 122; Portland 105 Chicago 87; Toronto 124 Milwaukee 83; Washington 91 Cleveland 78.

BBL Championship: Durham 80 London 73; Manchester 82 Cheshire 99 BBL Cup: Quarter-final: Leicester 84 Glasgow 85

Cricket Fifth one-day international Australia v South Africa SCG (South Africa won toss): Australia beat South Africa by two wickets (D/L method).

South Africa (balls) *H M Amla c Wade b Maxwell 18 (28) †Q de Kock c Wade b Cummins 107 (123) R R Rossouw c Bailey b Cummins 51 (71) F du Plessis c Bailey b Cummins 2 (3) D A Miller c Cummins b Smith 5 (12) F Behardien c Smith b Faulkner 63 (41) W D Parnell not out 18 (21) R McLaren not out 1 (2) Extras (lb 5, w 9, nb 1) 15 Total (6 wkts, 50 overs) 280 R J Peterson, M Morkel and K J Abbott did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-54, 2-161, 3-164, 4-187, 5-206, 6-279.

Bowling: Hazlewood 9-1-52-0; Starc 10-1-60-0;

Cummins 9-0-54-3; Faulkner 8-0-51-1; Maxwell 8-0-30-1; Watson 1-0-11-0; Smith 5-1-17-1.

Australia (balls) D A Warner c Peterson b Parnell 21 (16) A J Finch c Rossouw b Peterson 76 (67) S R Watson c Rossouw b Morkel 82 (93) S P D Smith c Rossouw b Peterson 67 (74) G J Maxwell c Behardien b Morkel 7 (10) *G J Bailey c Rossouw b Abbott 4 (7) †M S Wade b Peterson 3 (6) J P Faulkner not out 6 (5) P J Cummins b Peterson 0 (4) M A Starc not out 1 (5) Extras (w 4, nb 4) 8 Total (8 wkts, 47.1 overs) 275 J R Hazlewood did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-37, 2-137, 3-218, 4-246, 5-264, 6-264, 7-267, 8-267.

Bowling: Morkel 10-0-69-2; Abbott 10-0-59-1; Parnell 9-0-54-1; McLaren 7-0-41-0; Peterson 6.1-1-32-4; Behardien 5-0-20-0.

Umpires: N J Llong (England) and M D Martell (Australia).

6 Australia win five-match series 4-1.

Golf DP World Tour Championship, Dubai: Final scores: 272: H Stenson (Swe) 68, 66, 68, 70. 274: R McIlroy (GB) 66, 70, 70, 68; V Dubuisson (Fr) 71, 68, 67, 68; J Rose (GB) 71, 66, 68, 69. 275: S Lowry (Ire) 66, 71, 72, 66. 276: L Oosthuizen (SA) 69, 71, 70, 66; T Hatton (GB) 70, 68, 68, 70; R Karlsson (Swe) 71, 68, 68, 69. 277: B Grace (SA) 72, 67, 68, 70. R Cabrera-Bello (Sp) 73, 64, 65, 75; J Luiten (Neth) 70, 69, 68, 70. 278:

Wolverhampton Rob Wright

2.00 Give Us A Belle 4.05 Sky Steps 2.35 Razor Wind 4.35 Don’t Be 3.05 Offshore 5.05 Random (nap) 3.35 Rutherglen 5.35 Loraine Going: standard Tote Jackpot meeting Draw: 5f-7f, low numbers best At The Races

2.00

Handicap

(£2,264: 5f 20y) (13)

2.35

J Donaldson (GB) 72, 70, 67, 69; S García (Sp) 73, 69, 69, 67; T Fleetwood (GB) 69, 74, 67, 68; T Olesen (Den) 67, 70, 69, 72.

Ice hockey National Hockey League: Boston 0 Montreal 2; Calgary 5 New Jersey 4; Colorado 4 Carolina 3; Dallas 5 Los Angeles 4; Edmonton 1 Chicago 7; Nashville 3 Florida 2; New York 4 Pittsburgh 1; Ottawa 2 St Louis 3; Philadelphia 4 Columbus 2; San Jose 3 Arizona 4; Tampa Bay 2 Minnesota 1; Toronto 4 Detroit 1; Washington 1 Buffalo 2.

Motor sport Formula One: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Final race positions: 1, L Hamilton (GB, Mercedes) 1hr 39min 02.619sec; 2, F Massa (Br, Williams) at 02.576sec behind; 3, V Bottas (Fin, Williams) 28.880; 4, D Ricciardo (Aus, RedBull) 37.237; 5, J Button (GB, McLaren) 01:00.334; 6, N Hülkenberg (Ger, Force India) 01:02.148; 7, S Pérez (Mex, Force India) 01:11.060; 8, S Vettel (Ger, Red Bull) 01:12.045; 9, F Alonso (Sp, Ferrari) 01:25.813; 10, K Raikkonen (Fin, Ferrari) 01:27.820; 11, K Magnussen (Den, McLaren) 01:30.376; 12, J-E Vergne (Fr, Toro Rosso) 01:31.947; 13, R Grosjean (Fr, Lotus) 1 lap; 14, N Rosberg (Ger, Mercedes) 1 lap; 15, E Gutiérrez (Mex, Sauber) 1 lap; 16, A Sutil (Ger, Sauber) 1 lap; 17, W Stevens (GB, Caterham) 1 lap. Final championship standings: 1, Hamilton 384 points; 2, Rosberg 317; 3, Ricciardo 238; 4, Bottas 186; 5, Vettel 167; 6, Alonso 161; 7, Massa 134; 8, Button 126; 9, Huelkenberg 96; 10, Pérez 59; 11, Magnussen 55; 12, Raikkonen 55; 13, Vergne 22; 14, Grosjean 8; 15, D Kvyat (Russ,

Maiden Stakes

(£2,911: 1m 1f 103y) (11)

B A Curtis (5) 0-300 BAILEYS EN PREMIER C Dwyer 3-9-5 KAABER R Brotherton 3-9-5 T Eaves (2) MUSTAFIZ N Quinlan 3-9-5 Sam James (9) 00 NORMAN'S STAR 279 C Dwyer 3-9-5 C Beasley (3) (6) A Kirby (10) 322 RAZOR WIND 14 (BF) C Appleby 3-9-5 (11) 0450 THE GAY CAVALIER 32 (T) John Ryan 3-9-5 J Mitchell 0 VILAZ 179 B Meehan 3-9-5 Hayley Turner (3) WESTWOOD HOE J Gosden 3-9-5 R Havlin (7) ROXY MADAM 134J Miss M Rowland 5-9-3 (4) Ross Atkinson (3) S W Kelly 10 (1) 43224 PANATELLA 14 (BF) J Fanshawe 3-9-0 URBAN CASTLE J Tate 3-9-0 Luke Morris 11 (8)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

3.35

Toro Rosso) 8; 16, P Maldonado (Ven, Lotus) 2; 17, J Bianchi (Fr, Marussia) 2.

Constructors’ championship: Final standings: 1, Mercedes 701 points; 2, RedBull 405; 3, Williams 320; 4, Ferrari 216; 5, McLaren 181; 6, Force India 155; 7, Toro Rosso 30; 8, Lotus 10; 9, Marussia 2; 10, Sauber 0; 11, Caterham 0.

Rugby union Aviva Premiership London Welsh

5 Leicester

Saracens

24 Northampton

P Northampton 8 Exeter 8 Bath 8 Saracens 8 Leicester 8 Wasps 8 Sale 8 Harlequins 8 Gloucester 8 Newcastle 8 London Irish 8 London Welsh 8

W 6 6 6 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 2 0

D 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

L 2 2 2 2 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 8

Handicap (£5,175: 2m 119y) (8)

1 (7) 16416 JACOBS SON 151 M Appleby 6-10-0 Alistair Rawlinson (5) P Makin 2 (5) 143-1 RUTHERGLEN 255J J J Quinn 4-10-0 A Kirby 3 (8) 11-05 BATHWICK STREET 20 P D Evans 5-9-9 Sam James 4 (3) 2656 CALL ME PJ 12 O McKiernan (Ire) 7-9-6 00050 TOPTEMPO 7 (B) M Tompkins 5-9-5 J Quinn 5 (2) 6 (4) 13525 UNDERWRITTEN 15J (C) Shaun Harris 5-9-4 W A Carson R Tart 7 (6) 40110 UNCLE BERNIE 41 (CD) A Hollinshead 4-9-2 8 (1) 05111 ALBA VERDE 40 (CD) Sir M Prescott 3-8-12 Luke Morris 2-1 Alba Verde, 7-2 Rutherglen, 5-1 Underwritten, 6-1 Uncle Bernie, 8-1 Call Me Pj, 10-1 Jacobs Son, Toptempo, 25-1 Bathwick Street.

4.05

Nursery Handicap

1 2 3 4

J Duern (5) (4) 30041 ROCKAROUNDTHECLOCK 20 P Cole 9-7 A Kirby (3) 6036 DIGITAL REBELLION 90 C Appleby 9-6 Luke Morris (7) 45522 OFFSHORE 7 (P) J Tate 8-10 (6) 550 GREATEST JOURNEY 51 S Bin Suroor 8-10 K Shoemark (7) 5 (1) 0550 BEAUTY OF THE SEA 11 (BF) R Varian 8-9 Martin Dwyer M Cosham (3) 6 (2) 14054 AS A DREAM 11 Mrs N Evans 8-9 Hayley Turner 7 (5) 00622 RED STRIPES 7 (B) B Meehan 8-0

1 (3) 002 SPACE SHERIFF 11 (B) J Osborne 9-7 Racheal Kneller (5) Doubtful 2 (12) 0536 CLAMPDOWN 97 J Tate 9-7 3 (10) 63006 ARTHUR'S WAY 26 (P,BF) Mrs L Williamson 9-7 E J Walsh (5) G Baker 4 (2) 00553 LAURA B 48 C Wall 9-5 Hayley Turner 5 (9) 00021 EXCELLING OSCAR 6 (B,D) C Dore 9-5 03334 FAST SCAT 11 (V) P D Evans 9-4 A Kirby 6 (4) 7 (11) 3035 PENELOPE PITSTOP 20 (BF) K Dalgleish 9-3 J Fanning J Duern (5) 8 (5) 6050 CAHAR FAD 12 S Hollinshead 9-3 G Mahon (7) 9 (8) 32632 SKY STEPS 18 (V) P McBride 9-0 J Mitchell 10 (1) 00060 CELESTINE ABBEY 98 John Ryan 8-13 11 (6) 66010 NEW ABBEY DANCER 7 Miss G Kelleway 8-13 Doubtful Amy Scott (3) 12 (7) 50600 OROBAS 70 H Whittington 8-11

4-1 Your Gifted, 9-2 Pearl Noir, 5-1 Danzoe, 6-1 Dancing Juice, 7-1 First Rebellion, 8-1 Give Us A Belle, 12-1 Louis Vee, Shirley's Pride, 16-1 others.

11-4 Offshore, 3-1 Red Stripes, 5-1 Beauty Of The Sea, Rockaroundtheclock, 6-1 Digital Rebellion, 7-1 Greatest Journey, 25-1 As A Dream.

9-4 Laura B, 5-2 Sky Steps, 5-1 Excelling Oscar, 7-1 Space Sheriff, 9-1 Penelope Pitstop, 16-1 Arthur's Way, Celestine Abbey, Fast Scat, 20-1 others.

4-7 Razor Wind, 5-1 Panatella, 6-1 Westwood Hoe, 7-1 Urban Castle, 12-1 The Gay Cavalier, 20-1 Baileys En Premier, 33-1 Vilaz, 40-1 others.

3.05

Nursery Handicap

(2-Y-O: £2,911: 1m 141y) (7)

31

Saracens: Tries: Wray, Wyles 2. Pens: Hodgson 3. Northampton: Tries: Wilson 2, Dowson.

Cons: Myler 2. Pens: Myler 4. HT: 8-25. Att: 8,314.

T Eaves (6) 00616 LOUIS VEE 74 (T,C,D,BF) R Brotherton 6-9-6 J Fanning (1) 06-40 PAVERS BOUNTY 157 N Wilson 3-9-5 T Atkinson (5) (7) 46516 AARANYOW 19 (T,CD) C Lines 6-9-5 (4) 05622 GIVE US A BELLE 52 (T,V,C,D) Mrs C Dunnett 5-9-5 A Kirby 5 (3) 35431 YOUR GIFTED 10 (V,CD) Mrs L Williamson 7-9-4 R Hornby (7) 6 (8) 51653 PEARL NOIR 21 (H,B,CD,BF) S Dixon 4-9-4 Luke Morris 7 (10) 32040 MASTER OF DISGUISE 245 (C,D) B Baugh 8-9-4 P Makin D Brock (3) 8 (9) 10060 MY METEOR 17 (D) A G Newcombe 7-9-4 9 (11) 00000 SHIRLEY'S PRIDE 27 (T,P,D) M Appleby 4-9-3 Alistair Rawlinson (5) G Gibbons 10(12) 41532 DANCING JUICE 110 (V,D) B Ellison 3-9-3 11(13) 25600 COLLEGE DOLL 19 (T,C,D) Mrs C Dunnett 5-9-3 J Quinn E J Walsh (5) 12 (2) 03214 DANZOE 19 (V,CD) Mrs C Dunnett 7-9-3 13 (5) 53133 FIRST REBELLION 19 (B,C,D) A Carroll 5-9-2 D Probert 1 2 3 4

26

London Welsh: Try: Scott. Leicester: Tries: H Thacker 2, Kitchener, Barbieri. Cons: Bell 3.

HT: 5-12. Att: 2,200.

(2-Y-O: £2,264: 7f 32y) (12)

F 246 256 250 233 164 235 199 161 187 149 156 59

A 130 145 154 173 179 179 188 166 201 186 225 369

4.35

B 6 4 4 3 3 4 4 3 4 1 4 1

Pts 30 28 28 25 21 20 20 19 16 13 12 1

Guinness PRO12 Treviso

24 Leinster

24

Treviso: Tries: Pratichetti, Budd, Barbini, Giazzon. Cons: Hayward 2. Leinster: Tries: Fanning 2, D Kearney, B Byrne. Cons: Gopperth 2. HT: 12-10. Att: 3,500.

Edinburgh

28 Cardiff Blues

13

Edinburgh: Tries: Strauss, Fife, Brown. Cons: Heathcote 2. Pens: Heathcote 3. Cardiff Blues: Try: A Thomas. Con: G Davies. Pens: G Davies 2. HT: 16-6. Att: 3,803.

B Pts P W D L F A Ospreys 8 7 0 1 225 120 2 30 Ulster 8 6 1 1 204 98 4 30 Munster 8 6 0 2 196 113 4 28 Glasgow 8 6 0 2 202 146 3 27 Leinster 8 4 1 3 208 136 6 24 Connacht 8 5 1 2 148 131 1 23 Scarlets 8 4 2 2 186 146 2 22 Edinburgh 8 3 1 4 120 195 1 15 Cardiff Blues 8 1 1 6 161 228 2 8 Dragons 8 1 0 7 113 192 3 7 Zebre 8 1 0 7 90 217 1 5 Treviso 8 0 1 7 100 231 2 4

Championship Bristol

26 Rotherham Titans 17

Bristol: Tries: Brooker, Watkins, Townson, Crumpton. Cons: N Robinson 2, Jarvis. Rotherham Titans: Tries: Scanlon, Rieder. Cons: McKinney, Barrett. Pen: McKinney. HT: 7-10.

Att: 6,428.

Cornish Pirates 65 Bedford 14 Cornish Pirates: Tries: Bodilly, Kessell, Goss 2,

Handicap (Div I: £2,911: 7f 32y) (12)

C Beasley (3) 1 (1) 00621 GAMBINO 3 (C,D) J Riches 4-9-10 S Donohoe 2 (3) -0535 PIDDIE'S POWER 109 (T) K Frost 7-9-7 3 (8) 02210 POUR LA VICTOIRE 11 (B,D,BF) A Carroll 4-9-6 D Probert J Fanning 4 (9) 50513 RICH AGAIN 20 (P,CD) J Bethell 5-9-6 5 (7) 10030 COMRADE BOND 23 (D) M Tompkins 6-9-5 T Clark (5) G Baker 6 (11) 13504 CLASSIC PURSUIT 17 (P) R Harris 3-9-4 T Hamilton 7 (12) 6-500 MARCIANO 27 Mrs S Smith 4-9-4 Luke Morris 8 (2) 0-303 DON'T BE 24 Sir M Prescott 4-9-3 A Kirby 9 (10) 00606 AL'S MEMORY 11 (C,D) P D Evans 5-9-3 10 (5) 14360 KAKAPUKA 11 (D) Anabel Murphy 7-9-2 K Shoemark (7) 11 (6) 33210 KEENE'S POINTE 17 (P,CD) K Stubbs 4-8-13 S A Gray (5) P Makin 12 (4) 05311 SEWN UP 21 (P,CD) K Dalgleish 4-8-12 4-1 Don't Be, 11-2 Pour La Victoire, Rich Again, 6-1 Gambino, 7-1 Sewn Up, 10-1 Al's Memory, Kakapuka, 12-1 Piddie's Power, 14-1 others.

Course specialists Kempton Park: Trainers Jim Best, 3 winners from 7 runners, 42.9%; N Henderson, 53 from 170, 31.2%.

Jockey B J Geraghty, 40 wins from 121 rides, 33.1%.

Ludlow: Trainers M Bosley, 5 from 15, 33.3%; N Henderson, 29 from 98, 29.6%.

Jockey Peter Carberry, 3 from 14, 21.4%.

Wolverhampton: Trainers S Bin Suroor, 35 from 106, 33.0%; J Gosden, 41 from 135, 30.4%.

Jockey C Beasley, 15 from 68, 22.1%.

5.05

Dancer, Holland, James, Townsend, May. Cons: Hallett 7. Pens: Hallett 2. Bedford: Tries: Staff, Tupai. Cons: Sharp 2. HT: 34-0. Att: 1,150.

P Bristol 8 Worcester 8 London Scottish 8 Rotherham 8 Nottingham 8 Jersey 8 Bedford 8 Cornish Pirates 8 Doncaster 8 Yorkshire C 8 Moseley 8 Plymouth A 8

W 8 7 6 5 5 2 3 3 3 2 2 0

D 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1

L 0 1 2 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 7

F 272 272 245 178 165 192 152 198 154 146 160 115

A Pts 122 37 120 35 172 30 187 22 207 22 184 17 256 15 208 14 173 14 170 14 214 12 236 4

Tennis Davis Cup: World Group final, Lille: R Federer (Switz) bt R Gasquet (Fr) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

6 Switzerland beat France 3-1.

Fixtures Football Kick-off 7.45 unless stated.

Barclay’s Premier League: Aston Villa v Southampton (8.0).

Vanarama Conference: Boreham Wood v Weston-super-Mare 6 For the full week’s fixtures, see The Game pages 18-19.

Handicap (Div II: £2,911: 7f 32y) (12)

J Duern (5) 1 (1) 06341 MALAYSIAN BOLEH 5 (C,D) S Dow 4-9-8 D Allan 2 (5) 43556 SHAMAHEART 21 (P,D) G Harker 4-9-7 G Downing (5) 3 (12) 64001 QUEEN AGGIE 17 (CD) A Carroll 4-9-6 4 (11) 65401 BE ROYALE 6 (C,D) M Appleby 4-9-5 Alistair Rawlinson (5) C Beasley (3) 5 (7) 20103 SHADES OF SILK 17 J Given 3-9-4 P Cosgrave 6 (3) 31500 HILL OF DREAMS 48 (B) D Ivory 5-9-4 J Haynes (3) 7 (6) 12103 HEARTSONG 27 (H) J Gallagher 5-9-3 A Kirby 8 (8) 10664 THE DUKKERER 24 (D) G Moss 3-9-3 S Donohoe 9 (10) 46-41 RANDOM 44 (C) D Loughnane 3-9-2 T Eaves 10 (2) 00330 BOGSNOG 45 (C,D) K Stubbs 4-9-0 11 (4) 01500 BERTIE BLU BOY 25 (B,C,D) Mrs L Williamson 6-8-13 Martin Dwyer 12 (9) 30300 TWO SHADES OF GREY 28 (P) R Fahey 3-8-11 T Hamilton 11-4 Random, 4-1 Be Royale, 5-1 Queen Aggie, 8-1 Malaysian Boleh, 9-1 others.

5.35

Handicap (£2,264: 1m 141y) (12)

P Cosgrave 1 (6) 00414 ZAEEM 24 (P,CD) D Ivory 5-9-7 G Baker 2 (12) -4042 LORAINE 62 J Osborne 4-9-6 3 (2) 41310 JUMBO PRADO 26 (P,CD) J Stimpson 5-9-6E J Walsh (5) Luke Morris 4 (10) 15060 TIJUCA 138 E De Giles 5-9-5 5 (3) 23060 RUN FAT LASS RUN 5 (P) C Dore 4-9-5 Hayley Turner 6 (7) 04520 MANDY THE NAG 11 Mrs N Evans 4-9-4 M Cosham (3) 7 (1) 5006 MISSISSIPPI QUEEN 18 (H) Michael Bell 3-9-3 W Twiston-Davies 8 (4) 64430 CHOICE OF DESTINY 25 P McBride 3-9-3 G Mahon (7) J Mitchell 9 (8) 06222 TURNBURY 9 (T) R Mills 3-9-3 10 (9) 06003 ACT YOUR SHOE SIZE 9 (D,BF) K Dalgleish 5-9-2 J Fanning 11 (5) 00000 LOOK HERE'S AL 17 (C) A Hollinshead 3-8-12 J Duern (5) R Tate (3) 12(11) 3060- RI NA SI 389 M Appleby 4-8-7 3-1 Act Your Shoe Size, 5-1 Mississippi Queen, Jumbo Prado, Turnbury, 7-1 others.

56

FGM

Sport

Bellew still left with score to settle

SCOTT HEAVEY / GETTY IMAGES

Boxing

Tony Barrett

Not without justification, Tony Bellew claimed revenge after earning a splitpoints decision over Nathan Cleverly three years after losing their first bout.

Rarely, though, has revenge been so inconclusive or so curious.

Both boxers did their bit to try to whip up demand for a decisive third contest, but after two forgettable meetings between the pair, turning their bitter rivalry into a trilogy could test the public’s appetite.

There are more than enough questions remaining for a decider to take place, particularly after Cleverly spent the majority of Saturday’s encounter doing little more than paw with his jab after injuring his right hand.

But whether the answers they could provide would be worth the trouble, never mind the expense of the paying public, is another matter. The reality is that after 24 rounds of boxing, the war of words between Bellew and Cleverly has arguably been of greater interest to casual onlookers than the actual action.

Even the controversy that their second meeting at the Echo Arena in Liverpool provoked seemed fairly inconsequential as Bellew raged, again with justification, at the judging of Terry O’Connor after he scored the bout in favour of Cleverly. “It wasn’t even close,” Bellew said. “I don’t know what Terry O’Connor was watching, but I’m going to put a complaint in to the board. That is ruining careers. How could he have me losing that fight?”

Fortunately, for the sake of sporting justice, O’Connor’s view was at odds with those of his fellow judges and the verdict went Bellew’s way. Victory could now lead to the 31-year-old being handed a crack at Marco Huck’s WBO cruiserweight title, but having been indignant at the standard of judging in his home town, Bellew was in no mood to consider taking on the champion in his own backyard in Germany.

“I’ll be totally honest, my dream is Goodison Park,” the Everton fan said.

“I’ve got no interest in going to Germany to face Huck. Go to Germany for what, unless it benefits me financially?

“After seeing Paul Smith and other fighters out there — I’m not saying they were all great robberies — but I’m not going to Germany for that. I fully believe I can knock the head off Huck, I believe I’m a better boxer. Let’s put a

Cricket

The England middle order will be taking guard for the first time in two months come the start of the one-day international series against Sri Lanka on Wednesday, after rain washed out the second and final warm-up in Colombo yesterday.

While foul weather is hardly unsurprising in monsoon season, it means that Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes, the men designated to kick on the innings from Nos 5, 6 and 7, will be playing on instinct, memory and whatever form they have managed to discover in the nets in two days’ time.

Morgan and Buttler last played in the LV= County Championship game between Middlesex and Lancashire at Old Trafford from September 23 to 26.

Stokes made his most recent appearance for Durham at Lord’s on September 20, when he was the man of the match in the Royal London Cup final.

Moeen Ali and Alastair Cook struck

DeGale and Groves stay on course for rematch Tony Barrett

Making his point: Bellew says that he will complain after one judge felt that Cleverly, left, had won the 12-round contest

ring in Goodison and see what happens.”

While Bellew looks ahead to a possible world title contest and a role in a Rocky spin-off that starts filming in December, Cleverly’s immediate future is less clear unless a third bout takes place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, as he hopes. First, he must settle on a weight after struggling at cruiserweight, with the additional 25lb he carried against Bellew reducing his speed as the contest wore on.

“I’m not a true cruiserweight, but I give it my best because I’m caught between two weights,” he said. “I’m a bit small for cruiserweight, but struggle to make light-heavyweight. Going back down is definitely an option.”

While Cleverly’s career is at the

crossroads, those of three of the biggest draws on Saturday’s undercard remain bright with Scott Quigg, Jamie McDonnell and Anthony Joshua all winning in contrasting styles. Joshua’s 6 Manny Pacquiao said he hoped to face Floyd Mayweather early next year after he knocked down Chris Algieri six times on the way to retaining the WBO welterweight title with a one-sided points decision in Macau yesterday. The bout, which would be the richest in history, has proved elusive for the past five years, when talks first broke down.

“People can prepare for early next year,” Pacquaio said. “It is a fight I want and the fans deserve.”

Washout denies England vital practice Richard Hobson Deputy Cricket Correspondent

Monday November 24 2014 | the times

half-centuries in the first practice match against Sri Lanka A three days ago, while Ian Bell and Joe Root at least managed 35 and 16 balls respectively before bad light and rain brought proceedings to a halt.

The latest frustration denied another contest against the same opponents, forcing England to restrict themselves to practice on the outfield at the P Sara Stadium. Mark Ramprakash, the batting coach, said: “It is not ideal, but we came out here knowing that cricket tours can be affected at this time of year by bad weather.”

Peter Moores, the head coach, and Alastair Cook also face a tricky decision on the bowlers. Chris Jordan proved wayward on Friday, but Harry Gurney, the next in line, was denied an Morgan has not played since the end of September

opportunity to impress once the umpires deemed the outfield too boggy and dangerous to allow play yesterday.

Sri Lanka, already without Lasith Malinga, have ruled out Suranga Lakmal from the start of the sevenmatch series because he has not recovered from a stress injury in his left foot.

Australia, the co-hosts of the World Cup in February, overcame a collapse at Sydney to complete a 4-1 series win against South Arica and climb above India at the top of the ICC one-day rankings. England remain in fifth place.

Quinton de Kock scored 107 in the South Africa total of 280 for six, but a brisk shower made for a reduced target.

Australia were hardly blown off course as Aaron Finch (76) and Shane Watson (82) added 100 for the second wicket, with Steven Smith (67) then helping Watson to put on 81 for the third.

However, the final stages became a stutter. Robin Peterson’s spin helped South Africa to claim four wickets for three runs, before James Faulkner held his nerve to complete victory by two wickets with five balls left.

was the most eye-catching display as he stopped Michael Sprott, the veteran British heavyweight, inside 90 seconds of the first round after a ferocious assault. Joshua will now face Kevin Johnson, the American heavyweight, in London on January 31.

Quigg retained his WBA world super-bantamweight title with a comprehensive points win over the durable Hidenori Otake, of Japan, increasing hopes of a unification bout with Carl Frampton, the Northern Irishman.

McDonnell also came through the defence of his WBA world bantamweight title despite being tested by the spirited Javier Chacón, of Argentina.

McDonnell was short of his best, but Chacón suffered a shoulder injury in the tenth round and was pulled out.

Eddie Hearn, the promoter, is eyeing a rematch between George Groves and James DeGale next summer after the super-middleweight rivals both put themselves in line for a world title bid with stoppage victories at the Echo Arena, Liverpool.

DeGale, who lost narrowly on points to Groves in May 2011, was the more impressive performer of the pair as he ended a one-sided bout against Marco Antonio Peribán in the third round after a relentless assault, starting with a powerful left hook that brought the Mexican’s challenge to a halt.

The resounding victory means DeGale’s status as mandatory challenger for Carl Froch’s IBF belt remains intact, although all the indications are that Froch will vacate his title as he looks to land a potentially careerdefining bout in Las Vegas next year.

“I want to fight in Vegas and if anyone has the right to pick and choose where they fight, it’s me,” Froch said. But his comments provoked scorn from DeGale, who accused him of running scared. “I like Carl but it feels like he doesn’t want to fight me,” he said. “I respect him, but I think he’s being a bit of a coward not fighting me — fight me or vacate the title.”

The latter seems likely to happen, leaving DeGale to face Gustavo Ramírez. That would raise the possibility of a unification bout against Groves next summer if the 26-year-old can defeat Anthony Dirrell, the WBC champion, and DeGale is successful in his long-awaited world title bid.

Groves laboured against Denis Douglin before knocking the American down in the seventh round and forcing a stoppage. In an honest appraisal of his own performance, Groves rated it as “five out of ten”, before looking ahead to what would be his third attempt to win a world title. “There are other options, but I want the quickest route [to a world title] and that is the WBC,” he said.

Callum Smith, another of British boxing’s stable of super-middleweights, recorded a resounding points win over Nikola Sjekloca, of Serbia, to maintain the unbeaten start to his career.

Selby promises title deeds Snooker

Hector Nunns

Mark Selby hopes that winning the World Championship at the Crucible Theatre in May can make him more ruthless in the hunt for silverware.

The 31-year-old from Leicester may need a good run at this week’s Coral UK Championship to hold on to his world No 1 ranking. He is under pressure from Neil Robertson and Ding Junhui, from Australia and China respectively.

Selby is acutely aware that, despite the famous win over Ronnie O’Sullivan in the final in Sheffield, a haul of four ranking titles looks meagre compared with Ding’s 11 and Robertson’s 10. He opens his campaign on Wednesday at the Barbican Centre in York against Oliver Brown, the amateur who has already thrashed Ding 5-0 this season.

“It’s not easy to keep the desire,” Selby said. “Once you have achieved big things you set out to achieve, some people think ‘I’ve done it now’ and are never the same again.

“But I don’t think easing off is within

me, I couldn’t do it. I still enjoy it and still want to win every event I enter. I am a sportsman and a winner. If I don’t win, it is failure.

“I will continue to put in the hard work, no question. The ranking title count is an area where I would like to be better, but it isn’t through the lack of trying. I know players such as Ding and Neil, who are of a similar age, have won more, but hopefully I have even more belief to help me to win more finals.

“I have lost eight ranking finals and a couple of Masters finals, so I’ve been in roughly the same number as Neil, but he has won more. I have to convert the chances.”

Selby believes that the difference between winning and losing big games is becoming ever smaller.

“It comes down to being clinical on a couple of key balls in key frames, so that’s what I will be looking to do,” he said. “It is just such fine margins. Even in the ones I have won, including the three Masters titles, there have been times when it could have gone the wrong way but you won the title.”

the times | Monday November 24 2014

57

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Rugby union Sport

Myler stakes claim for national service Cardiff City Saracens

Campbell, 21

West Northampton Ham United

C Cole 42, Noble 90+3

Aviva Premiership

TONY MARSHALL / GETTY IMAGES

24 0 2 31 1

Gary Fitzgerald

Stephen Myler praised Northampton Saints for their clinical edge after a win that took them back to the top of the Aviva Premiership.

The England fly half kicked 16 of his side’s points and pressed his claims for another international opportunity with a cool and composed performance at a rain-soaked Allianz Park.

Luther Burrell limped out of the action three minutes from the end with a slight ankle injury, but the Northampton and England centre, hoping to play his way back into the side for the international against Australia on Saturday, shrugged it off as “a minor strain and nothing to worry about” as he sat down to watch the end of the action.

Burrell missed England’s matches against South Africa and Samoa after damaging a hand against New Zealand and did enough while on the field yesterday to press his claims of a recall.

James Wilson, the wing, raced over for two tries and another came from Phil Dowson, the captain, with Chris Wyles crossing twice for Saracens and Jackson Wray adding a third try.

Myler said that his team had struck a psychological blow at the home of their main title rivals. “This is a huge win for us,” he said. “It’s never easy coming to this place, but we knew we had to take control of the game from the start.

“You then have to keep control and not let them back in it, because we knew how dangerous they would be with the ball. You also have to take your opportunities when they come along, and we did. We knew they would have a few words at half-time because of the scoreline and expected them to come out firing. It was a case of keep doing the right things, staying calm and controlled.”

Scorers: Saracens: Tries: Wray (39min), Wyles 2 (64, 69). Penalty goals: Hodgson 3 (7, 48, 80). Northampton Saints: Tries: Wilson 2 (1, 13), Dowson (21).

Conversions: Myler 2. Penalty goals: Myler 4 (11, 32, 60, 75).

Scoring sequence (Saracens first): 0-7, 3-7, 3-10, 3-17, 3-22, 3-25, 8-25 (half-time), 11-25, 11-28, 16-28, 21-28, 21-31, 24-31.

Saracens: A Goode; C Ashton, N Tompkins, C Wyles, D Strettle (rep: B Ransom, 52); C Hodgson, B Spencer (rep: N de Kock, 69); R Gill (rep: R Barrington, 54),

Tries!

Tries!

Tries!

Times Sport

Download the latest version of our app for our brilliant new Aviva Premiership video section, with archive and near-live clips Free for members in Google Play and the App Store

How they stand

Home discomfort: Vunipola tries to evade Dickson, the Northampton scrum half, during Saracens’ defeat yesterday

With the rain drenching the artificial surface and making it a real test for both sides, it was Northampton who adapted better and raced into a 25-3 lead in just over half an hour of one-sided rugby.

Burrell’s fine pass wide on the left set up the opening try for Wilson after just two minutes and, after Charlie Hodgson and Myler had exchanged penalty goals, the same player darted J George, J Figallo (rep: J Johnston, 40), J Hamilton, A Hargreaves, J Wray (rep: E Joubert, 52), W Fraser (rep: J Burger, 63), B Vunipola.

Northampton Saints: B Foden; J Elliott, T Stephenson, L Burrell (rep: D Waldouck, 77), J Wilson; S Myler, L Dickson; A Waller (sin-bin, 62-72; rep: E Waller, 77), M Haywood (rep: R McMillan, 77), S Ma’afu (rep: G Denman, 67), J Craig (rep: B Nutley, 73) C Day, C Clark, P Dowson, S Manoa.

Referee: M Carley. Attendance: 8,314.

over in the 14th minute, latching on to the bouncing ball after Lee Dickson, the scrum half, had split the home defence with a deft grubber-kick.

Dickson hassled Ben Spencer, his opposite number, at a scrum close to the Saracens line to set up the third try, as Billy Vunipola spilt the ball and Dowson touched down.

Myler increased the advantage with another two penalty goals, only for Saracens to awake from their stupor and grab a try just before the break, courtesy of an impressive driving maul, from which Wray fell to the ground with the ball in hand.

Saracens were revitalised after the break and after Hodgson and Myler exchanged penalties again, the home side were given a new lease of life when

Northampton had Alex Waller, the prop, sent to the sin-bin for persistent foul play.

Two tries from Wyles in the left corner meant that, at 28-21, it was very much game on. But Northampton’s defence held firm and Myler kicked his fourth penalty goal, before Hodgson salvaged a bonus point for the host team with the last kick of the game.

Mark McCall, the Saracens director of rugby, said: “The contrast between the two halves was huge. We were second best in all areas in the first one, especially the scrum. That drained the guys’ energy and affected their performance elsewhere.

“We were much more like ourselves in the second half and gave it a shot at the end, but there was too much to do.”

Northampton Exeter Bath Saracens Leicester Wasps Sale Harlequins Gloucester Newcastle London Irish London Welsh

Mike Brown England v Samoa Nine England players touched the ball for Jonny May’s second try but we have gone for the precision that led to Brown’s first for England at Twickenham.

George Ford picked out Anthony Watson with a cross-field kick, the Bath wing cut inside and slipped the offload to Brown for the try.

88

Richie McCaw, below, has led the All Blacks to 88 victories in his 100 matches as captain

5

Vern Cotter has led Scotland to five wins from seven matches since taking over as head coach

W D L 6 6 6 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 2 0

0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2 2 2 2 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 8

F

A

246 256 250 233 164 235 199 161 187 149 156 59

130 145 154 173 179 179 188 166 201 186 225 369

B Pts 6 30 4 28 4 28 3 25 3 21 4 20 4 20 3 19 4 16 1 13 4 12 1 1

6 Leicester Tigers climbed to fifth in the Aviva Premiership after beating London Welsh, the bottom club, 26-5 at the Kassam Stadium yesterday. The visiting side took their time to quell the spirited exiles, who kept them to a 5-5 scoreline after 35 minutes before Leicester’s forward power told after the interval. Harry Thacker scored two tries and Graham Kitchener and Robert Barbieri the others for Leicester, with Tommy Bell kicking three conversions.

TMO (the monday overview) Try of the week

P 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

By Alex Lowe

Team of the week

What we learnt this week

B Smith (New Zealand); J Savea (New Zealand), C Smith (New Zealand), J M Hernández (Argentina), J May (England); J Sexton (Ireland), A Smith (New Zealand); J Marler (England), R Best (Ireland), O Franks (New Zealand), B Retallick (New Zealand), P O’Connell (Ireland), P O’Mahony (Ireland), B Cowan (Scotland), K Read (New Zealand).

France dropped in it by Sánchez and Hernández Argentina held on in a tense finale to defeat France 18-13 in Paris and rekindle memories of the 2007 World Cup. The visiting side opened an 18-3 lead with three dropped goals and two penalty goals from Nicolás Sánchez, the Toulon fly half, and a fourth dropped goal from Juan Martín Hernández, the Racing Métro centre. France, who had beaten Australia the previous weekend, hit back with a try from Wesley Fofana, and Scott Spedding was close to scoring with the final play of the game, but Steve Walsh, the touch judge, ruled that he had been held up.

Cotter turns Scotland’s focus towards the Six Nations Scotland rounded off a positive autumn campaign by putting

five tries past Tonga in a 37-12 win at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock.

Vern Cotter’s side also defeated Argentina and delivered an encouraging display against New Zealand, but the challenge is to continue that into the RBS Six Nations Championship.

Cotter has given each member of his squad a detailed training plan to work through before the squad reconvene before their game against France in Paris on February 7.

“This is great, but where do we move to next?” Cotter said after Scotland’s fifth win in seven matches. “We want to move everybody forward.”

Blair Cowan, the London Irish flanker, opened the scoring in a man-of-the-match display and there were further tries for Stuart Hogg, Alex Dunbar, Geoff Cross and Tommy Seymour.

Botha calls time on his all-conquering career Bakkies Botha, the South Africa lock forward, has retired from international rugby after winning 85 caps, the last of which came off the bench in their 31-28 victory over England at Twickenham eight days ago.

Botha has won every leading honour available to him with the Bulls, Blue Bulls, Toulon and South Africa, including the World Cup, the Rugby Championship and Tri-Nations series, Super Rugby, Heineken Cup and the French Top 14. He also helped the Springboks to defeat the Lions in 2009.

He requested not to be involved in Saturday’s match against Italy, which South Africa won 22-6, to avoid taking the focus away from the team’s preparations.

58

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

Sport Rugby union

Blind faith stunting progress now wheels are off the bandwagon England’s worship of the God of Positives does them no favours and there is every chance of defeat

by Australia on Saturday, says Stuart Barnes

T

hat was England’s worst performance in years.

Rounding it off, the players showed their solidarity for the plight of the Samoa players, not only by forming a supportive circle with them but also by going down on their knees in prayer. It explains everything: I have assumed that Stuart Lancaster says one thing to us and another to the team in the privacy of their meeting rooms.

Otherwise, this endlessly spooled “we believe in what we are doing”, despite the evidence that shows the side are regressing into nothing more than an old-fashioned and well-drilled English pack, comes across as a biblical blind faith.

The great rugby God of Positives to whom England offer tributes game after game will see them through to the light, no matter how confusing and ugly the evidence is, and Saturday was nothing if not ugly. And yes, it seems that rationality can be ruled out of the equation.

The cult of good character demands that everyone tries their hardest (which to a man they do) and agrees on all matters rugby. If they all close their eyes and block their ears, maybe Saturday never even happened.

Maybe there exists the progress the

squad says it believes in. Alas, for those of us outside the cult, there is only the echo of T S Eliot’s The Hollow Men. “This is the way the world ends/Not with a bang but a whimper.”

In the first two defeats of the autumn — against the world’s best two sides, it must be said — England did end with a bang and not a whimper, although in both cases, New Zealand and South Africa had wrapped up the game to leave a deceptively unreflective scoreline. But oh did Saturday night end with a whimper.

For the last 20 minutes, England were stuck in their own half, for long periods in their own 22. The same happened against the All Blacks, but in that instance the brilliance of New Zealand’s wet-weather game ensured that England remained stuck.

On the two weekends before Saturday’s match, Samoa had been comprehensively outplayed by Italy and beaten Canada by ten points (a result put into perspective by Canada

State of the nations How they stand in the autumn international series scored under Aviva Premiership rules P W L TBP LBP 2 0 New Zealand....................4 4 0 (US 74-6, Eng 24-21, Scot 24-16, Wal 34-16) 3 3 0 1 0 Ireland (SA 29-15, Geo 49-7, Aus 26-23) 3 2 1 2 0 Scotland (Arg 41-31, NZ 16-24, Ton 37-12) 3 2 1 1 1 France (Fiji 40-15, Aus 29-26, Arg 13-18) 3 2 1 1 0 Argentina (Scot 31-41, It 20-18, Fr 18-13) 3 2 1 0 0 South Africa (Ire 15-29, Eng 31-28, It 22-6) 3 1 2 0 2 England (NZ 21-24, SA 28-31, Samoa 28-9) 3 1 2 0 2 Australia (Wal 33-28, Fr 26-29, Ire 23-26) 3 1 2 1 1 Wales (Aus 28-33, Fiji 17-13, NZ 16-34) 3 1 2 0 1 Italy (Samoa 24-13, Arg 18-20, SA 6-22)

Pts 18 13 10 10 9 8 6 6 6 5

beating Namibia by only four points a week earlier). Yet England could only find the wit to work their way from their line on a couple of occasions in the closing stages against Samoa; once when Marland Yarde inexcusably wasted an overlap from deep in England’s territory, after Brad Barritt had stolen a lineout (what does that tell us about the opposition?), and once when the one shining light, George Ford, made a clean break only for Dave Attwood, his Bath team-mate, to drop the ball a few metres from the line.

Had England been as inept in all aspects of play — bar the set-piece, where Graham Rowntree’s charges enjoyed an easy ride against a thirdrate pack — against New Zealand, they would have lost by 30 points.

‘They have a pack. They have hope. There is still time to make a bang’ The clue to the direction in which England are heading was found in the midfield combination of Owen Farrell and Brad Barritt. The latter is a decent player, the former an unrelenting if unsubtle player so out of form it borders on cruelty to select him.

The Saracens team-mates had played twice together in the centre for England. Like Saturday’s fiasco, England won both games. Like Saturday, the opposition, in the shape of Scotland and Italy, was second-rate.

It didn’t stop the majority of the press and population acclaiming England for beating two such formidable enemies at the time; both these teams are much better now than then.

The few of us who were stunned by the utter absence of anything but a defensive mindset were told that winning was all after Martin Johnson’s team had lost to France in the quarter-

Time for prayer: England and Samoa joined forces after the match to mark the

finals of the World Cup in 2011.

England’s fans were blinded by these wins. A one-off win against New Zealand lifted spirits and Lancaster’s team did begin to progress in the autumn of 2012. They were superb against Scotland in the game after beating New Zealand, with Farrell

showing substantial improvement as a fly half.

Last season they were plucky against New Zealand and excellent against Wales and Ireland. I jumped on the bandwagon with the few remaining souls not already on it.

And the bandwagon went to New

Twickenham the next stop on Beale’s road back Cardiff City Ireland

Campbell, 21

West Australia Ham United C Cole 42, Noble 90+3

Rob Wildman Dublin

26 0 2 23 1

Australia, heartened by staging a comeback that almost overtook Ireland in a thrilling contest, arrived in London yesterday determined to finish a traumatic 2014 by beating England on Saturday.

The match at Twickenham, which is a rehearsal for the World Cup pool game next autumn, could feature the full integration of Kurtley Beale, the player at the heart of the controversy that triggered the resignations of Ewen McKenzie, then the head coach, and Di Patston, the team’s former business manager, last month.

Beale, who was fined £26,000 for sending lewd texts and verbally abusing Patston, made his first appearance since the fallout as a second-half replacement and almost produced a winning score.

He could well start against England

because of the ankle injury to Tevita Kuridrani, the centre, who went off five minutes after the interval.

Michael Cheika, the new Australia coach who has backed Beale’s return, felt one late break might have led to a crucial try but was unfairly pulled up by Glen Jackson, the referee, in a tight call for a forward pass from Matt Toomua, the promising new centre.

Beale, 25, grabbed the chance afterwards to plead forgiveness for his part in the saga that has made him the target of hate emails and left Australians questioning why he should play international rugby again. “It was obviously a silly thing to do,” he said.

“I’ve just got to work on my mistakes, keep improving the little things and try to better myself as a person.”

Cheika, meanwhile, is trying to stamp his own mark on an unsettled squad who have so far defeated the Barbarians and Wales, but lost narrowly to France and Ireland.

Victory for Ireland puts them in an upbeat mood for the defence of their RBS Six Nations Championship title.

They showed again why they are the

Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Zebo (11min), Bowe (14).

Conversions: Sexton 2.

Penalty goals: Sexton 4 (5, 40, 45, 63). Australia: Tries: Phipps (16, 30). Conversion: Foley (16). Penalty goals: Foley 2 (36, 48).

Scoring sequence (Ireland first): 3-0, 10-0, 17-0, 17-7, 17-12, 17-20, 20-20 (half-time), 23-20, 23-23, 26-23.

Ireland: R Kearney (rep: F Jones, 77); T Bowe, R Henshaw, G D’Arcy (rep: I Madigan, 58), S Zebo; J Sexton (rep: E Reddan, 78), C Murray (rep: Reddan, 71-76); J McGrath, R Best (rep: S Cronin, 67), M Ross, D Toner (rep: D Foley, 61), P O’Connell, P O’Mahony, R Ruddock, J Heaslip.

Australia: I Folau; A AshleyCooper, T Kuridrani (rep: K Beale 45), M Toomua, H Speight; B Foley (rep: Q Cooper 62), N Phipps (rep: W Genia 67); J Slipper (rep: B Robinson 70), S Fainga’a (rep: J Hanson 70), S Kepu (rep: T Faulkner 70), S Carter (rep: W Skelton 71), R Simmons, L Jones (rep: J Schatz 53), M Hooper, B McCalman.

Referee: G Jackson (New Zealand).

Attendance: 51,100.

most consistent team in Europe. They exploited a strong start to engineer a try for Simon Zebo, the wing, from a pinpoint cross-field kick by Jonathan Sexton, before Tommy Bowe, the other wing, ran 80 metres after intercepting Nick Phipps’s pass inside his own 22.

It proved to be the crucial score to go alongside the telling contribution of Sexton, the ever-reliable outside half, who landed six kicks out of seven to amass 16 points.

Ireland led 17-0 after 15 minutes, but by half-time Australia had fought back brilliantly to level at 20-20. Phipps, the combative scrum half, scored two tries and the other came from Bernard Foley, his half back partner, whose place-kicking was not as good as Sexton’s, with two easy chances missed.

Ireland sneaked ahead for the final time 17 minutes from the end, courtesy of Sexton, and they had the willpower and defence to withhold the best of Beale and Co. It left Cheika to “mourn” the defeat and promise a final effort for 2014 against England. “You are never tired when playing for Australia,” he said.

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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Rugby union Sport DAVID ROGERS / GETTY IMAGES

England

Samoa

Ratings by Mark Baldwin

8

mike brown (Harlequins) Excellent under the high ball, carried strongly throughout and took his try well

7

ken pisi (Northampton) One superb run showed attacking ability and played well in unfamiliar full back role

8

anthony watson (Bath) Drew praise from Lancaster for a fine all-round effort, including a great offload for Brown’s try

7

alapati leiua (Wasps) Not enough ball came his way, but always a threat when he did get his hands on it

6

brad barritt (Saracens) Noticeable early on for a couple of “unintentional” blocking decoy runs, but solid enough

6

reynold lee-lo (Counties Manukau) Hard-tackling in the midfield, but no real attacking opportunities

6

owen farrell (Saracens) Lovely loop pass to Ford instigated the move for May’s first try, otherwise frustrated

6

johnny leota (Sale Sharks) Sin-binned harshly for marginal high tackle on Ford, but always impressed with physical ability

8

jonny may (Gloucester) Took his first try brilliantly and electric pace made his second a formality. Settling in now

6

david lemi (Bristol) Frustrated when one first half cross-kick was too strong for him. Could not get enough ball

9

george ford (Bath) Did all, and more, that could have been asked of him on his first England start. Impressive

7

tusi pisi (Suntory Sungoliath) Kicked his three penalty goals, tried hard to give Samoa shape and kept going manfully

6

ben youngs (Leicester) Mixed game in terms of passing and kicking from hand. Taken off before England lost shape

7

kahn fotuali’i (Northampton) Did not let himself down and was always prompting and organising

7

joe marler (Harlequins) Played his part in scrum dominance and worked hard around the field

6

zak taulafo (Stade Français) Fought hard to keep Samoa in the game at scrum time and had his moments in the loose

6

rob webber (Bath) Lineout throwing held up well, but loose play not as dynamic as one would have hoped

7

ti’i paulo (Clermont Auvergne) Another high-class forward who gave it everything and was always competitive

7

david wilson (Bath) Popped up as the last line of defence to snuff out a Samoa thrust. Scrummaged well

6

census johnston (Toulouse) The giant veteran did not get the better of Joe Marler and could not last a full hour

6

dave attwood (Bath) Some good carries and lineout work sound. Missed late chance with tryline at his mercy

5

teofilo paulo (Cardiff Blues) Another who was taken off early, and Samoa might have expected more of their big lock

5

courtney lawes (Northampton) Unnaturally quiet and not as prominent as expected with ball in hand

6

kane thompson (Newcastle) May be cited for punches aimed at Farrell, but physicality was otherwise well used

5

james haskell (Wasps) Another of England’s forwards who found it hard to impose himself on proceedings

7

maurie fa’asavalu (Oyonnax) The former Harlequins flanker is still, at 34, a fine all-round player across the field

8

chris robshaw (Harlequins) Typical yeoman display and led England’s tackle count. Always willing and a consistent force

6

jack lam (Bristol) Upheld the family name with a lively performance and is strong over the loose ball

6

ben morgan (Gloucester) Found ball retention difficult at times in wet conditions. Only a few trademark rumbles

7

ofisa treviranus (London Irish) Samoa’s most effective ball-carrier and was always a willing presence

Pacific islanders’ troubles but England need assistance from anywhere in the wake of another uninspired performance

Zealand. And the wheels came off it. It became bumpy, the road was rocky. It took real character not to jump off, not to feel queasy with the knowledge that the trail is now heading back to where it started. The bandwagon is circled and the progress over to all but the rugby fundamentalists.

The team play as if each international is an exercise in putting into practice real-life situations. The players are thinking so far ahead, trying to remember the next move, that they are struggling to see what is in front of them.

If they repeat their effort against

Samoa, they will lose to Australia this Saturday before their RBS Six Nations Championship starts in Cardiff.

England have a pack. They have power. They have hope. There remains time to make a bang. But at the moment such thoughts ring hollow. It is time to start thinking and stop praying.

Clock ticking in race to catch All Blacks Wales Cardiff City Campbell, 21

New WestZealand Ham United C Cole 42, Noble 90+3

Alex Lowe

16 0 2 34 1

So the challenge has been set. New Zealand flew home last night with four tour victories, the last of which rendered more hurt and frustration upon Wales, and a clean sweep of trophies in the annual World Rugby awards.

Brodie Retallick collected his player of the year award on the field at the Millennium Stadium after the All Blacks had staged a devastating late onslaught, scoring four tries in 13 minutes to win 34-16, and Steve Hansen was named coach of the year.

The next time we see the All Blacks in these parts, they will be back defending their title as world champions. The marker that New Zealand laid down this autumn, according to Alun Wyn Jones, the Wales lock, is that they are 20 minutes better than anyone else.

The chasing pack has just ten months

to wind that clock down — and obviously they all make positive noises about being able to do so — but Kieran Read warned that the All Blacks would not be standing still, either; their culture does not allow it.

“We need to be better at the World Cup because it is tight at the top,” Read said. “We have to keep improving. That is ingrained in us.”

New Zealand proved again on Saturday that they are masters of the final quarter, those key 20 minutes. Wales led 13-10 after Rhys Webb had cancelled out Julian Savea’s try, but as hope grew in the stands, so the All Blacks sensed their hosts beginning to wilt after an hour of courageous defence.

Beauden Barrett was switched from fly half, where he had been under pressure, to full back and he was instrumental in Wales’s downfall, providing the cross-kick that led to a try from Jerome Kaino.

Leigh Halfpenny’s third penalty goal briefly nudged Wales back ahead, but Barrett then scored twice either side of a charge-down try from Read as the All Blacks rattled up 24 points in the last 17

minutes. “It took a bit longer to adapt than we wanted to, but we are confident in our ability to play 80-plus minutes,” Read said.

Therein lies the difference. So near, yet so far once again for Wales. “We should have won,” Jake Ball, the lock, said. “It is a case of controlling the game in the final minutes.

“That is why New Zealand are No 1 in the world. Maybe we have to take a leaf out of their book.”

Scorers: Wales: Try: R Webb (45min). Penalty goals: Halfpenny 3 (6, 51, 67). Conversion: Halfpenny. New Zealand: Tries: J Savea (42), J Kaino (63), B Barrett 2 (69, 76), Read (72). Penalty goal: B Barrett (22).

Conversions: B Barrett, C Slade (2).

Scoring sequence (Wales first): 3-0, 3-3 (half-time), 3-10, 10-10, 13-10, 13-15, 16-15, 16-22, 16-29, 16-34.

Wales: L Halfpenny; A Cuthbert, J Davies, J Roberts, G North (rep: L Williams, 65); D Biggar (rep: J Hook, 76), R Webb (rep: M Phillips, 56); P James (rep: N Smith, 73-76), R Hibbard (rep: S Baldwin, 61), S Lee (rep: R Jones, 73), J Ball (rep: L Charteris, 61), AW Jones, D Lydiate (rep: J Tipuric, 61), S Warburton, T Faletau.

New Zealand: B Smith; C Piutau (rep: C Slade, 55), C Smith, S B Williams (rep: R Crotty, 70), J Savea; B Barrett, A Smith (rep: TJ Perenara, 72); W Crockett (rep: J Moody, 40), D Coles (rep: K Mealamu, 63), O Franks (rep: C Faumuina, 46), B Retallick, S Whitelock (P Tuipulotu), J Kaino (rep: L Messam, 64), R McCaw, K Read.

Referee: W Barnes (England). Attendance: 72,000.

Replacements

Replacements

George Kruis (Saracens; for Lawes, 54); Matt Mullan (Wasps; for Marler, 58); Kieran Brookes (Newcastle; for Wilson, 58); Marland Yarde (Harlequins; for May, 8-17, 60); Richard Wigglesworth (Saracens; for Youngs, 63); Billy Twelvetrees (Gloucester; for Farrell, 64); Tom Wood (Northampton; for Haskell, 67); Dylan Hartley (Northampton; for Webber, 70).

Dan Leo (London Irish; for Teofilo Paulo, 51). Anthony Perenise (Bristol; for Johnston, 55). Tala Ioane (Otago; for Lam, 55). Manu Leiataua (Stade Aurillac; for Ti’i Paulo, 60). Fa’atiga Lemalu (Sanix Blues; for Thompson, 61). Michael Stanley (Counties Manukau; for T Pisi, 68). Viliamu Afatia (Agen; for Taulafo, 77).

Referee: J Peyper (South Africa).

Attendance: 82,076.

60

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Monday November 24 2014 | the times

Sport Rugby union

Midfield remains a minefield for George Ford glided through the gears so Stuart Lancaster must now focus on his inside centre, says Owen Slot

Talking tactics England’s second try George Ford brought a different dimension at fly half, running the ball more than Owen Farrell does but also mixing up his game well.

Ford executed a perfect cross-kick that led to Mike Brown’s try

S

o here we are, in the last week of the QBE autumn internationals, with the same questions being asked that were posed three weeks ago. England have shuffled and reshuffled, and we have reached the end of the autumn still wondering how to solve the riddles of No 10 and No 12.

George Ford looked the winning formula in his bravura performance against Samoa on Saturday and England must now stick with him, work on him, build, nurture and improve him. For this week, at least, there is no credible alternative. Yet these are only early days and a win over Samoa, with respect — and that is a hell of a lot of respect — is only a win over Samoa.

It is so tempting to stand back and admire Ford’s game and the accuracy, the attacking vision and imagination, the devil, the balls with which he invited and took contact, the pinpoint boot, the gorgeous, low trajectory cross-kick that Anthony Watson claimed without breaking stride, and conclude that here is everything England have been missing, everything they have been seeking. Yet in swapping one fly half for another, England have gained a sharper attack and lost an effective kicker and superior defence.

That is one reason why Owen Farrell could be retained against Australia on Saturday in the No 12 position.

However, the lack of clarity at the axis of the team is symptomatic of the way England have meandered this month.

Maybe, in Ford, England have finally found their best fly half. But rewind the last two years and there have been occasions aplenty when Twickenham has sat back and admired, and said the same of Farrell.

Hindsight (yes, indeed, a comfort afforded a newspaper column) now states the argument, loudly and clearly, that the management of Farrell has been at fault these past three weeks. If Stuart Lancaster had applied the same

v Samoa Ford (10) Farrell (12) Kick 8 1 Pass 8 1 Run 8 1 Metres run 46 7 Defenders beaten 5 0

1 Johnston and Thompson bring Robshaw to ground

v South Africa Farrell (10) Eastman (12) Kick 6 0 Pass 5 Watson 17 7 offloads the Run ball to Brown 4 5 who scores Metres run 17 35 Defenders beaten 2 2

4 Watson catches the ball and cuts infield

2 Youngs spins pass to Ford 3 Ford directs a cross-kick towards Watson

Anthony Watson

rigour to selection at No 10 that he did at 12, for instance, Farrell would not have been picked and he would have not laboured his way through the autumn.

The head coach looked at form and decided that Billy Twelvetrees, his Six Nations No 12, was not the man to start November and that Kyle Eastmond was. Had he applied the same criteria to fly half, then Farrell’s lack of game time and recent form would have ruled him out, Ford would have started and Farrell could have slowly played his way back into the team.

Instead, he seems to be slowly playing his way out.

This is not to suggest that Lancaster has to stick rigidly to one single selection criteria. The only May scored two tries

policy, give or take the odd nuance, must simply be to pick the best team.

Apologies for those who are simply world-weary with hearing how infernally smart the All Blacks are, but when it comes to international selection, they do not just pick their best players from the bright sparks of the past two months’ domestic rugby, they pick on reputation, too. Israel Dagg would never have made the Kiwi squad in June if it had been picked on merit, but the management trusted him to come good for them.

Likewise, Lancaster trusted Farrell to come good for him. This is a judgment thing and here the judgment was wrong.

It is stating the obvious to say, now, that this week he needs to get everything right. England need to halt their stuttering regression, they need to give their autumn campaign a semblance of mediocrity, they have to emerge having made more gains than losses. Australia is the perfect fixture and it comes with two doses of extra pressure. If Ireland and France can beat them, then surely

England can. Plus, this is a prequel of a World Cup pool A crunch match.

Which takes us back to 10 and 12.

Ford was so bright against Samoa that you wonder how warmly the sun may shine with a genuine No 12 outside him.

He has the kind of creative influence that makes players around him look good. A classic inside centre running on to his shoulder and picking the gaps that his short passes invite would harness further attacking potential.

Farrell, though, just does not fit that mould. Eastmond does.

The brightest attacking midfield in the country on Saturday happened to be playing for Bath (Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph), not for England (Farrell and Brad Barritt). That has to be an argument in favour of Eastmond, Ford’s club-mate, far and way beyond Ford and Farrell’s history at junior level.

Farrell’s skills are those of the second playmaker/kicker; plus, he has the kind of place-kicking record requisite at international level. A blend between Farrell and Eastmond would be Twelvetrees, who was a mainstay in the Six Nations but has not been afforded the same faith meted out to Farrell.

After the Samoa game, Ford was keen to play down any personal

Lancaster demands effort lasting the full 80 minutes Cardiff City England

Campbell, 21

Samoa West Ham United

C Cole 42, Noble 90+3

Owen Slot Chief Rugby Correspondent

28 0 2 9 1

England have got one more weekend to get it right, but the international against Samoa was a third game in succession in which familiar flaws were repeated.

For a period, at the start of the second half, it was inviting to sit back and admire. England seemed to up their game and their accuracy and, yes, they were helped by a very cruel yellow card being shown to Johnny Leota, the Samoa centre, but nevertheless it seemed that momentum was building.

This is now a pattern. England were the same against South Africa, when a brace of tries by forwards had the old Swing Low filling the stands after halftime. Likewise, the first ten minutes

against the All Blacks were delicious.

But momentum rises and then it fades.

It was fits and starts against Samoa; England had their good phase and then faded. Stuart Lancaster, the head coach, is desperate for an 80-minute effort and his team denied it him again. Slow start, hot middle, poor end.

This game had the hallmarks of an old-style England Six Nations victory: be dominant, run the opposition into the ground, run away with it in the final quarter. Yet when they reached the

Inside today

On their knees (though not without a prayer) Stuart Barnes, pages 58-59

Northampton back on topp thanks to Myler My Aviva Premiership, page 57

final quarter, it was Samoa who had the legs. It would help, as Lancaster also observed, if they played more of the game in the right part of the pitch. “We need to improve in that area,” he said afterwards — just as he had done the week before and the week before that.

Why doesn’t that happen? “We have a youthful exuberance,” he said, by way of explanation, although he expects his youngsters to contain their exuberance and follow their instructions. He has given them enough opportunities.

Yet all could just about be forgiven if the chances were taken. Here, again, we have a familiar old failing. Mike Brown spilt a pass in the first half; Marland Yarde squandered a two-on-one in the second. The most glaring error of all, though, was when, with the final seconds ticking away, George Ford broke the line and gave Dave Attwood a scoring pass a few yards from the tryline that Attwood dropped. Those were three try-scoring chances blown. As Lancaster said: “On another day, those

missed chances would be the difference between winning and losing.”

Lancaster has placed three demands on his players: to put in the 80-minute performance, to play those 80 minutes as far as possible in the right part of the pitch, and then to take the opportunities when they arise.

This week he will make the same demands all over again. For now, he is still waiting on their delivery.

Scorers: England: Tries: May 2 (20min, 52), Brown (46).

Conversions: Ford 2. Penalty goals: Ford 3 (18, 27, 42).

Samoa: Penalty goals: T Pisi 3 (4, 24, 50).

Scoring sequence (England first): 0-3, 3-3, 10-3, 10-6, 13-6 (half-time), 16-6, 23-6, 23-9, 28-9.

England: M Brown; A Watson, B Barritt, O Farrell (rep: B Twelvetrees, 64), J May (rep: M Yarde, 8-17, 60); G Ford, T Youngs (rep: R Wigglesworth 63); J Marler (rep: M Mullan, 58), R Webber (rep: D Hartley, 70), D Wilson (rep: K Brookes, 58), D Attwood, C Lawes (rep: G Kruis, 54), J Haskell (rep: T Wood, 67), C Robshaw, B Morgan.

Samoa: K Pisi; A Leiua, R Lee-Lo, J Leota (sin-bin, 51-61), D Lemi; T Pisi (rep: M Stanley 68), K Fotuali’i; Z Taulafo (rep: V Afatia, 77), T Paulo (rep: M Leiataua, 60), C Johnston (rep: A Perenise, 55), F Paulo (rep: D Leo, 51), K Thompson (rep: F Lemalu, 61), M Fa’asavalu, J Lam (rep: T Ioane, 55), O Treviranus.

Referee: J Peyper (South Africa). Attendance: 82,076.

Flying start: Ford, the Bath fly half,

triumphs. In the mould of the modern player, he spurned any opportunity to wallow in his triumph and preferred to reflect instead on the success of the team. And maybe this is just the team ethic thing, but he was complimentary of Farrell and his influence outside him.

Match stats England 3 42

71

18 5

58

Territory (%)

42

332

Samoa

Tries 0 Possession (%)

58

Carries

127

Metres made Defenders beaten

367 11

Clean breaks

4

Offloads

35 13 14 7/7 18/19

6 Kicks from hand

12 32

Turnovers conceded Penalties conceded

10 12

Scrums won Lineouts won

6/8 8/12

the times | Monday November 24 2014

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England to navigate RICHARD HEATHCOTE / GETTY IMAGES

Rugby union Sport

Under-fire Farrell needs time out to give career kick in right direction Rick Broadbent

began an international for the first time and was a rare shaft of light as England failed to dominate Samoa at Twickenham

On recollecting England’s first try, which came off his loop move, giving and taking off Farrell, he smiled and said, “We’ve had a few of them in our careers together,” and, “Brilliant execution by Owen.”

For the Australia game, Lancaster

has to weigh up Eastmond v Twelvetrees v Farrell. The temptation will be to persevere with the FordFarrell experiment, putting faith in the probability that it will work more smoothly with practice, but it is a call that he has to get right.

From the inside, he sees so much more. He sees the synergy in training, the potential for execution at Twickenham. From the outside, we see a unit still not functioning. Farrell may yet be the man to play at No 12, but surely not now.

May and Watson state case for long run Mark Baldwin

Stuart Lancaster has used no fewer than 13 different starting wings in his 33 matches in charge of England, but Jonny May and Anthony Watson may both be expecting an extended run after impressing the head coach in the victory against Samoa.

May, 24, scored two tries in his third start this autumn, and his tenth cap overall, and spoke afterwards of the confidence boost that his brilliant score against New Zealand had given him at the start of the series.

For Watson, 20, a third cap and second successive start brought an eyecatching all-round display that surely cements his place ahead of Semesa Rokoduguni, his Bath team-mate, who began the autumn campaign as Lancaster’s first choice on the right wing.

“I needed that try against the All Blacks,” May said. “That took a bit of the pressure off, as I knew I had to prove that I can do it at international level.

Waiting in the wings 6 England have selected 13 starting wings since Stuart Lancaster’s reign began, against Scotland, on February 4, 2012: Chris Ashton (20 starts), Jonny May (ten); Mike Brown (seven); David Strettle (six); Jack Nowell and Marland Yarde (both five); Ben Foden (four); Charlie Sharples (three); Anthony Watson (two); Semesa Rokoduguni, Manu Tuilagi, Christian Wade and Ugo Monye (one apiece).

6 Lancaster has also used 12 wing combinations in 33 matches: Ashton and Brown (seven); Ashton and Strettle, May and Nowell (both five); Ashton and Foden (four); Ashton and Yarde, Ashton and Sharples, Yarde and May, May and Watson (two apiece); Sharples and Monye, Wade and Strettle, Tuilagi and Yarde, May and Rokoduguni (one apiece).

Now I can go out there and play my game, and the more I’m around this environment the more confidence I get.

“As a team we lacked a little bit of ambition against South Africa last week, and the confidence to move the ball, but we put it right this week. I am just working hard each week and am delighted to get these two tries against Samoa.”

Both May and Watson showed their startling pace off the mark on Saturday evening, with Watson also cleverly taking out two Samoa defenders before providing a neat scoring pass for Mike Brown after taking George Ford’s perfectly judged cross-kick.

Chris Ashton and David Strettle were Lancaster’s first wing selections, 33 months ago, and Ashton and Marland Yarde finished last summer’s New Zealand tour as the men in possession of the Nos 11 and 14 shirts. After May and Rokoduguni, it is now May and Watson. Have England at last found the flying machine combination to take them into next year’s World Cup?

If the public picked the England team then Owen Farrell would be nowhere near it. He should be dropped by Stuart Lancaster and sent to his bedroom by his dad. He was the rock, but now he is somewhere between a rock and a hard place — out of form, out of position and surely out of the team.

It has been a dreadful fortnight for the fly half-cum-centre-cum-meandering misfit. “I’m not an out-and-out classic centre,” he said in the build-up to another torrid display. To the weary cynic, it was a bit like Kylie Minogue saying she is not an out-and-out classic No 8, but Farrell deserves some sympathy.

Since cementing his reputation in this year’s Six Nations and seemingly nailing down the No 10 spot, less than three years after making his international debut as a centre, there was the knee injury in New Zealand and the quad injury in England. He was asked to take on the All Blacks after only one start since September. If his kicking in that game was the stuff of half-cut cancan, his coach had to carry half the can.

After the defeat by South Africa, he was shunted to inside centre and, even against Samoa, looked uncomfortable and bereft of confidence. The old pals’ act with George Ford does not really wash, either; they know they are in direct competition for the playmaker role and losing the kicking duties, even temporarily, will have hurt.

This, then, might prove the testing ground for Farrell’s ability to go on and be England’s No 10 both at the World Cup and for the next five years.

It may be that being dropped would be the perfect kick-start. It certainly did Danny Care no harm when he was banished by Lancaster in 2012 after drinking, driving and urinating on the steps of a Leeds hotel.

Missingg out on a Lions tour ur both hurt and helped d him, as he explained that Lancaster had told him: “I know your potential and you’re not fulfilling it.””

Different circumstances, of course, but the same now goes for Farrell.

Australia has become a must-win game, Ford has merited a truer test and Farrell must pay the consequence for not fulfilling his potential, otherwise faith begins to look like blind faith.

Care, now hitting another sobering slump, has already fallen on his mediocrity.

The trouble for Lancaster is time and Farrell might sum up England in choosing a god-awful one to find a plateau. Lancaster knows you need options and that New w Zealand won the World Cup

with a fourth-choice fly half, so he wants proof that Farrell can cover at centre and step in as first receiver, and use his kicking game.

Some fairly sagacious onlookers, such as Tim Horan and Sir Clive Woodward, backed the centre conversion, but this week must be time to call a spade a spade and stop digging the hole.

Farrell needs to continue his development in his designated role without undue distractions. England will want his goalkicking come the World Cup, so will make do with the attacking deficiencies that often elicit a smattering of muttering at Twickenham. He had progressed on that front, taking the ball flatter, working on his pass, showing nuggets of creativity, such as the delayed ball that led to a Luther Burrell try in Paris. That was only February. He has not become a bad player in the interim. Jonny Wilkinson was no world-beater when it came to creative sparkiness, but he was a world-beater.

The sad news for Farrell is that rugby watchers like a bit of utopia. Ideally, they would like an all-singing, all-dancing fly half who can kick, run, pass and knock off a decent version of the Mona Lisa at half-time. The good news is Farrell appears to have a granitic mental strength, as anyone who remembers him overcoming being booed in Scotland as he lined up his first kick for goal on his England debut. He missed, but recovered. He was also the bloke pointing out that Chris Robshaw was having a brainwave in going for goal as the clock ticked down against South Africa two years ago.

There was another dip of form last year and, before the Lions tour, the relentlessly noisy David Campese groused: “He does not cope with pressure; his skill set isn’t great.”

Warren Gatland countered: “He comes back fightba ing from a bit of in criticism better and stronger. That’s part of the reason we like him so much.”

It was like that when Andy Farrell moved the family south from the rugby league heartlands. He had wanted to take them out of wa their comfort zone, but moving to Harpenden was one in thing, moving to the centre quite thin another.

For one still young, Farrell Jr has, somewhat undeservedly, been through several flak jackets, but he should button up for the nadir.

Ten months out and the rock needs a Te timeout.

Torrid time: Farrell deserves sympathy but must pay the price for failing to fulfil his potential and should be left out of England’s team to face Australia

62

FGM

Monday November 24 2014 | the times

Sport Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Rosberg driven to tears as rival roars into history books

Kevin Eason watches an emotional end to the season in Abu Dhabi, where Lewis Hamilton secured his destiny

T

he national anthem was pumping out from the sleek white yacht in the floodlit Yas Marina harbour just a few feet from the window of Lewis Hamilton’s dressing room.

A Mercedes hospitality suite that had spent much of the weekend looking like the waiting room of a general hospital was transformed into party central.

Nicole Scherzinger, in her tight black summer dress, had abandoned the poise of an international singing star and was hugging anyone who stood still.

Anthony Hamilton had not yet got his hands on a glass of champagne — pretty tricky at any time in a dry Arab state — but was already drunk on the emotion of a night when his son had become a legend. Anthony knew it was true because the man fourth in line to the throne said it.

The bookmakers are taking bets that it will be Sir Lewis by the year end, as well as BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Legend, knight, television star and the first driver to win a world championship in a Mercedes since Juan Manuel Fangio in 1955. Wow. Hamilton will probably settle for the accolade of two-times Formula One world champion.

At the top of the white-walled stairs, where the noisy anthem was an echo, Nico Rosberg hugged Vivian, his wife, who sobbed into his shoulder. In F1 they say that second is first of the losers.

That would be a harsh assessment of a driver who knew victory was no more than a long shot, but who was dignified and courageous in defeat.

Rosberg openly admitted that he was “beaten fair and square” to the world championship by a driver who won 11 grands prix this season — elevated territory by any standards. Where there is hope, there is life, though, and Rosberg hoped he could win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and somehow sneak it from

Dominant season

11 5 16 12

Wins this season for Lewis Hamilton

Wins for Nico Rosberg

Wins for Mercedes, beats the 1988 McLaren record

Front-row lockouts in qualifying equals Williams record of 1992

19 10

Pole positions for Mercedes is a record for engine manufacturer

1-2 finishes, a record

Exclusive to members

Hamilton v Rosberg Audio graphic: Kevin Eason tells the tale of a tempestuous world championship thetimes.co.uk/formulaone

under the nose of his team-mate. He did half the work by snatching a wonderful pole position, but the second his Mercedes clung to the asphalt like a limpet at the start and Hamilton roared off into the distance to take the lead at the first corner, Rosberg knew he needed the gods to intervene.

They did — they stuck their mischievous fingers deep into the works of his Mercedes and flicked the vital switch that turned off his ERS system.

ERS (for Energy Recovery System) is the sort of unfathomable acronym that F1 loves, but basically it meant that Rosberg was one battery boost short of having a chance to win a world championship.

Rosberg went backwards. The messages to his pitwall became more desperate with every lap, but there was nothing his engineers could do to repair one of the most sophisticated speed machines on the planet.

At the end of 31 laps, Hamilton went to the pits for tyres and emerged to find himself tailing the limping Mercedes of his team-mate. He did not dither and passed him.

As time ran out and car after car overtook Rosberg, his engineers told him to give up the struggle and come in.

“I want to drive to the end,” Rosberg said, the tears welling behind the visor of his helmet. On the penultimate lap, Hamilton lapped his team-mate. The world championship was well and truly decided.

This has been an extraordinary season over 120,000 miles around the world and 19 races that have ranged from intense to explosive. Boyhood friends became bitter enemies, unable to speak to each other, staring into the middle distance at joint press conferences, unwilling to allow their eyes to meet. By Abu Dhabi, they were men apart on either side of the Mercedes motorhome, Hamilton visibly retreating into his own psyche, while Rosberg did his best to destabilise his teammate.

For Rosberg, this was new territory, but perhaps the advice transmitted from Keke, his father and the 1982 world champion, was to sharpen the needle and poke it into Hamilton’s brain.

Hamilton was feeling it. For some reason, he decided he was better off facing this huge day alone. He regretted every minute of his decision. Alone on a beach on Saturday night, he sent frantic texts to his father.

“I felt relaxed, practice went well, but qualifying was tougher and the pressure was increasing and increasing,” Hamilton said. “I went out to the beach

Flag day: Hamilton celebrates victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, his 11th of the

and was messaging my dad. I told them, ‘Guys, I would love you to be here, but I am here working away, just trying to make you proud.’ ” Little did he know that Anthony was almost within touching distance. His father had organised a surprise family outing — a mobile emergency support group, if you like.

Anthony had endured the traumas of 2007 and 2008, two last-race championship deciders involving his son. The first was crushing when Kimi Raikkonen overturned a seven-point lead and stole the title from Hamilton in his rookie season. Hamilton won the

second, but at huge cost to his central nervous system as he claimed the title from Felipe Massa, of Ferrari, almost at the final corner of the Brazilian Grand Prix. “Losing the championship in 2007 was a bad experience,” Hamilton said.

“I felt I couldn’t control things. In 2008, I came back. While it was a great experience, my emotions were shot. I just wasn’t mature and didn’t have the knowledge.

“I went in with butterflies in the stomach, a bit nervous, but this time I was extremely calm, which was extremely weird — was it a really good thing or a really bad thing?”

Button heads for the aisle and an uncertain future Kevin Eason Motor Racing Correspondent Abu Dhabi

The King of Spain knew what was happening, but he blabbed to a television station. He should have tipped off Jenson Button, who may have driven in his final grand prix.

Fifth in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a lacklustre finish for the 2009 world champion. But he has been driving a McLaren car that had gleaming paintwork but was a dullard on the track for much of this season.

Perhaps McLaren will take note when the cheque from Bernie Ecclestone drops on to the mat at the team’s Woking headquarters. Button contrib-

uted 126 of McLaren’s 181 points to keep the team’s nose ahead of Force India for fifth place in the constructors’ championship. That will be worth some $20 million (about £12.8 million) in prize money.

McLaren could say thanks by extending Button’s contract into next year. Fernando Alonso let slip to King Felipe of Spain that he was bound for McLaren, which could mean the end of Button’s five seasons with the team, and the Englishman has no idea what his future is.

“A lot of people asked me if it was different because it might be my last race,” Button said. “It was my family and friends who looked at me in a different way, which made me emotional.

Before the race, all the mechanics were there ready for the man hugs, and that was really tough. I could see it in their faces.”

Button leaves Abu Dhabi to return to Monaco to choose wines for his wedding next month to Jessica Michibata, his fiancée, who flew in at the last minute to join Simone, his mother, and his three sisters.

Then he will have to wait by the phone for a call from Ron Dennis, McLaren’s chief executive, to tell him whether he is in or out of an F1 job for next year.

Button may be confused, but Alonso knew his reign at Ferrari was over. His mechanics wore T-shirts designed as a tribute last night and he wore a helmet

imprinted with the names of his team.

Like Button, the final time proved eminently forgettable for the two-time champion, ninth place not much to remember after five seasons with the Scuderia.

Sebastian Vettel was having his own emotional farewell at Red Bull — and how much worse could that have gone for a man who clinched the first of his four titles on the Yas Marina track in 2010.

His team were disqualified from qualifying for an illegal front wing and he had to start from the pitlane. He finished the race eighth, shrugged and prepared for the farewell party from the team who nurtured him from karting protégé to world champion.

Reflected glory: Hamilton receives a congratulatory kiss from Scherzinger

the times | Monday November 24 2014

63

FGM

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Sport KAMRAN JEBREILI / AP

The story of a remarkable year Fearsome form Lewis Hamilton starts as he means to go on by taking a magnificent pole position for the Australian Grand Prix, the first race of the season. The luck is with Nico Rosberg, though; Hamilton’s car develops engine problems and his Mercedes team-mate inherits the victory.

On the run Hamilton is undaunted and flying. There are pole positions in four of the first five grands prix.

Only in Bahrain does Rosberg stop the rot and even then Hamilton, right, is astonishing.

He overtakes Rosberg and the pair indulge in an extraordinary battle to the finish.

Significantly, Hamilton declares his hand, almost pushing the chasing Rosberg off the track. Rosberg is not happy. The tension grows.

season, to claim his second world drivers’ title after the mechanical gremlins got to Rosberg, his team-mate, who was 14th

How they finished 55 laps: 1, L Hamilton (GB, Mercedes) 1hr 39min 2.619sec; 2, F Massa (Br, Williams) at 2.576sec behind; 3, V Bottas (Fin, Williams) 28.880; 4, D Ricciardo (Aus, Red Bull) 37.237; 5, J Button (GB, McLaren) 1min 0.334sec; 6, N Hülkenberg (Ger, Force India) 1:02.148; 7, S Pérez (Mex, Force India) 1:11.060; 8, S Vettel (Ger, Red Bull) 1:12.045; 9, F Alonso (Sp, Ferrari) 1:25.813; 10, K Raikkonen (Fin, Ferrari) 1:27.820; 11, K Magnussen (Den, McLaren) 1:30.376; 12, J-E Vergne (Fr, Toro Rosso) 1:31.947; 13, R Grosjean (Fr, Lotus) 1 lap; 14, N Rosberg (Ger, Mercedes) 1 lap; 15, E Gutiérrez (Mex, Sauber) 1 lap; 16, A Sutil (Ger, Sauber) 1 lap; 17, W Stevens (GB, Caterham) 1 lap. Not classified: 18, K Kobayashi (Japan, Caterham) 42 laps completed; 19, P Maldonado (Ven, Lotus) 26 laps; 20, D Kvyat (Russ, Toro Rosso) 14 laps.

Fastest lap: Ricciardo, 1min 44.496sec (lap 50).

Qualifying positions: 1, Rosberg 1min 40.480sec; 2, Hamilton 1:40.866; 3, Bottas 1:41.025; 4, Massa 1:41.119;

5, Kvyat 1:41.908; 6, Button 1:41.964; 7, Raikkonen 1:42.236; 8, Alonso 1:42.866; 9, Magnussen 1:42.198; 10, Vergne 1:42.207; 11, Perez 1:42.239; 12, Hülkenberg 1:42.384; 13, Sutil 1:43.074; 14, Gutiérrez 1:42.819; 15, Maldonado 1:42.860; 16, Kobayashi 1:44.540; 17, Stevens 1:45.095; 18, *Grosjean 1:42.768; 19, @Vettel 1:41.893; 20, @Ricciardo 1:41.267. *10-place penalty for use of a sixth power unit @Started at back because of an aerodynamic irregularity Final championship positions: Drivers: 1, Hamilton 384pts; 2, Rosberg 317; 3, Ricciardo 238; 4, Bottas 186; 5, Vettel 167; 6, Alonso 161; 7, Massa 134; 8, Button 126; 9, Hülkenberg 96; 10, Pérez 59; 11, Magnussen 55; 12, Raikkonen 55; 13, Vergne 22; 14, Grosjean 8; 15, Kvyat 8; 16, Maldonado 2; 17, J Bianchi (Fr, Marussia) 2.

Constructors: 1, Mercedes 701; 2, Red Bull 405; 3, Williams 320; 4, Ferrari 216; 5, McLaren 181; 6, Force India 155; 7, Toro Rosso 30; 8, Lotus 10; 9, Marussia 2.

Pretty good, as it turned out. Massa was there at the finish again, only in a Williams this time and threatening to spoil the party as he homed in on Hamilton’s tailpipe. He finished second, followed home by Valtteri Bottas, his team-mate, to finish a splendid season for the grand old team.

It proved a point of sorts. Second is not always first of the losers. Sometimes it is a position of hope. Rosberg is back in his Mercedes on Tuesday for testing and is already plotting his way back.

Lewis Hamilton is the legend in Abu Dhabi, but Rosberg wants another shot at his place in history.

Royal seal of approval for King Hamilton Continued from back page

said. “I didn’t know how tense the weekend would be and how much time I would be able to give them. I didn’t want to finish the weekend saying, ‘I wish I did that or that.’ ” This was the climax of a thrilling season, dominated by Mercedes and fought out to the bitter end between team-mates whose confrontations have often been tempestuous.

Rosberg was crushed, the tears welling as his car struggled with a broken ERS battery-power boost system and he slipped down the field to finish 14th.

The German son of Keke, the 1982 champion, had a chance of his own world championship if he won in Abu Dhabi and Hamilton finished lower

Prince Harry makes radio contact after Hamilton crosses the line

than fifth or failed to finish. The greatest fear was that Bernie Ecclestone’s contentious decision to award double points at the finale would distort a season dominated by Hamilton, who has won 11 grands prix to Rosberg’s five.

Fortunately, the double points were never needed and it was Rosberg who suffered an attack of the gremlins.

Rosberg was a dignified loser, leaving his car immediately to climb to the holding room before the podium ceremony to congratulate his team-mate.

“Perhaps things will naturally ease up a little now,” Hamilton said. “[Nico] was gracious enough to come and see me after the race, which I appreciated.

That was tough because I know what it is like losing a championship.”

Cheat or chance?

Rosberg stops Hamilton in his tracks but did he cheat his way to victory? In qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix, Rosberg runs down an escape road to prevent Hamilton from setting a fast lap for pole position — and pole in Monaco is crucial. So it proves with Rosberg winning F1’s blueriband event. But Hamilton is seething and will not forgive nor forget. There are no handshakes or congratulations and no communications between team-mates who had been friends from their teenage years.

Rosberg’s summer feast The momentum is with the German now. The only let-down is the British Grand Prix, where it is Rosberg’s turn to suffer a car failure and he has to watch while his team-mate takes a magnificent victory. However, there are wins in Germany and Austria while Hamilton suffers a serious wobble. By the summer break, Rosberg is a confident 29 points ahead in the world championship.

Smashed and grabbed If Hamilton seethed in Monaco, he exploded in Belgium. The scene was this: Rosberg on pole position and Hamilton alongside.

The man from Stevenage grabs the lead but Rosberg tries to take it back on the second lap. They collide, above, and Hamilton suffers a puncture and damage and has to retire.

Rosberg is second to Daniel Ricciardo but the Australian’s win is overshado wed by an almighty row in the Mercedes

motorhome when Hamilton accuses his team-mate of driving into him deliberately.

Sackcloth and ashes The crucial meeting is in Brackley, a small town in Northamptonshire, and not on the track. Rosberg and Hamilton are called into the Mercedes headquarters for a serious talking-to.

Rosberg is forced into a public apology but Hamilton is reminded to keep his counsel instead of blabbing to the media. The atmosphere is now poisonous.

Stirred and shaken Did that spat in Belgium and public dressing down knock Rosberg off balance? The German snatches the lead at the Italian Grand Prix when the Mercedes of pole-sitter Hamilton bogs down, but then he strangely misses the chicane twice to allow his teammate through to victory.

Social media claims it is a fix and payback for Hamilton, a view underlined by Sir Jackie Stewart, the threetimes champion.

On the run Italy sparks Hamilton’s revival: there are five impressive victories in a row, taking in Russia, the United States, Singapore and Japan. Rosberg plugs away valiantly with four second places out of five, but Hamilton has the initiative and the championship lead. Going into the Brazilian Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the season, Hamilton’s lead in the title race over Rosberg is up to 24 points.

Game on Rosberg is far from down and out. At Interlagos — the scene of Hamilton’s 2008 world championship victory — the German rules. Pole position and an imperious victory was unexpected but there is a glint in Rosberg’s eyes. This world championship is not over.

Brass tacks Br Rosberg, left, has signed a contract extension but Hamilton has been waiting for the end of the season before going into negotiations.

Could he move on?

Highly unlikely.

The Mercedes package is the best he has be had in his career and 2015 will offer another chance of a world title to both of the drivers at war.

Words by Kevin Wo Ea Eason

Sport

Monday November 24 2014 | the times

8 pages of pure football

Autumn of discontent

Liverpool endure fresh indignity at Selhurst Park

Victory but yet more issues to resolve for Stuart Lancaster

the game, pages 46-53

Rugby union, pages 57-63

thetimes.co.uk/sport

british press awards — sports team of the year

Royal seal of approval for King Hamilton Kevin Eason Motor Racing Correspondent Abu Dhabi

Prince Harry paid a surprise tribute to Lewis Hamilton on his car radio seconds after the British driver joined the greats of Formula One by becoming world champion for a second time yesterday.

The man who had been to two previous title deciders at the final race of a season faced another nerve-jangling night at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Hamilton confessed that the tension became overwhelming as the Mercedes car belonging to Nico Rosberg, his team-mate and rival for the championship, faltered.

“I was rubbing the cockpit and saying, ‘Come on baby, you can make it,’ ” Hamilton said. “I did that a few times but I had complete faith that things would go with me. The car was feeling good and then at the end I could push and win the race.”

With nerves on millions of sofas across Britain soothed and the new world champion confirmed, Prince Harry spoke for the nation as he grabbed a radio from the Mercedes pitwall crew. “Lewis, thank you for not making the British public sweat. You are an absolute legend. Well done, mate,” he said.

Moments later, David Cameron tweeted his congratulations on a “great day for British motorsport”.

It is more than that: British drivers have made a clean sweep of all four of the senior world championships this season: Jolyon Palmer is the GP2 champion; Alex Lynn won the GP3 title this weekend in Abu Dhabi; and Anthony Davidson became world endurance champion last weekend.

However, Hamilton’s victory moves him into the highest echelon of drivers.

He is one of only four British drivers who have won multiple world titles, joining Jim Clark, Graham Hill and Sir Jackie Stewart.

Niki Lauda, a wily veteran of three world championships and now the Mercedes chairman, had warned Hamilton that he would not sleep before this championship decider.

“When you go through the race and come here, there is so much pressure,” Hamilton said. “You try to ignore it and keep your eye on the ball. Niki was right — I didn’t sleep last night. I went to bed about 1am and woke up at 5am and went for a run. I felt for sure I will be tired when I got to the race but, somehow, I felt composed.”

Relief was at hand in the shape of his family — Anthony and Linda, his parents, with Nicolas, his brother, and Nicole Scherzinger, his girlfriend — who flew in unexpectedly and presented themselves yesterday morning.

“My family came and surprised me at breakfast, which was a great thing. I wanted them to be here,” Hamilton Continued on page 63

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