Luke Cowan-Dickie: Injury made me drink — I'm a better man now
'It has probably been the worst four years of my professional career,' says Luke Cowan-Dickie, sitting in the sunshine by the Sale Sharks training pitches, still stunned by a second call-up to the British & Irish Lions.
In 2021 he was a starting hooker for the Lions, playing in all three Tests during the Covid-dominated tour to South Africa. And then his life began to unravel. He suffered some bad luck and he made some bad decisions and after four years Cowan-Dickie hardly had a body of work that he felt was worthy of consideration by the head coach Andy Farrell. His call-up represents a remarkable recovery.
In November 2022, he suffered nerve damage to his neck and shoulder playing for England against South Africa
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
15 minutes ago
- BBC News
Harrogate sign Maidenhead striker McCoulsky
Harrogate Town have signed Maidenhead United striker Shawn McCoulsky on a two-year 28-year-old scored 15 goals in 44 league appearances last season as the Magpies suffered relegation from the National League."I spoke to the manager about the direction the club is going in and the project here and it was definitely a no-brainer," he told the club website., external"Everyone I spoke to had nothing but good things to say about the club and that made my decision a lot easier."
Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I'LL SHOW YOU! New Rangers boss Russell Martin says he's been proving critics wrong throughout his career
Russell Martin has vowed to win over his critics after being unveiled as Rangers ' new head coach. The 39-year-old was paraded at Ibrox yesterday after signing a three-year deal to spearhead the revolution under the club's new American owners. The former Scotland and Norwich City defender, who had a brief loan stint at Rangers in 2018, has previously managed MK Dons, Swansea and Southampton. But his appointment has been met with some disapproval and anger among the fanbase, with many supporters questioning his credentials for the job. Asked if he is confident he can silence the critics, Martin replied: 'Yeah, I have to be. I think I have a lot to prove. I have done it my whole career. 'My whole career has been based on proving people wrong, really. At every level, I got questioned. 'I got to the Premier League as a player. I wasn't convinced that I could do it, but I managed to establish myself there for a little while. 'I ended up playing four or five seasons there, played international football, which I'm incredibly proud of. 'So, it's the same again as a manager, I have to prove people wrong at every opportunity.' Out of work since leaving Southampton last December, Martin was described as the standout candidate by Rangers chief executive Patrick Stewart in what became a lengthy recruitment process. The club had also held talks with Steven Gerrard and Davide Ancelotti, but it was Martin's vision, experience, and style of play that elevated him above the other contenders. 'There's always some names in football management that are always a bit more exciting than others, of course,' said Martin, when asked about his rivals for the job. 'I feel after five-and-a-half-years of being a manager, being a coach, being a leader in an environment, I love doing it. 'I'm going to be all in here with my energy, and my love for it, and passion, and hopefully that will reflect on the pitch and people will see that, and at some point they'll enjoy it. 'And hopefully, like I said, hopefully they just want to win, and if our team is winning, I'm sure they'll be happy. 'I don't think I've been the number one choice [among fans] at any club I've been at. But by the time we've left every club I've been at, I felt a real connection with the supporters. 'I am excited to be here and I want to build a Rangers team who the fans can identify with and are excited to watch.' The former centre-back, who won 29 caps between 2011 and 2017, revealed that he had knocked back a few jobs since leaving Southampton six months ago. He had been strongly linked with a move to Leicester City but made it clear to the Rangers hierarchy right from the outset that he wanted the job at Ibrox. Asked what success will look like moving forward, he explained: 'I think it's to win trophies. 'It's to build a culture at the training ground here that we are proud of, and that people can feel when they come into the building, and that the ownership want to feel when they come into the building. 'An environment of hard work, of honesty, of openness inside and outside of the building and to see a team that doesn't look different every week, that is always trying to improve and develop in our own way. 'Rather than focusing on the opposition too much or what other people are doing, we're going to do it our way and we're all going to be fully on the same page. 'I think the alignment and what I've felt over the last few weeks in the process is the most important part for me. The 39-year-old familiarises himself with the home dugout as he is introduced at Ibrox 'I think we're all on the same journey. We want to be successful and, ultimately at Rangers, that means to win trophies. 'We have to improve the team on the pitch, improve the environment on the pitch as much as we possibly can. Because there are already some brilliant people at the football club. 'Some of them I know and worked with here and I've spoken to over the last couple of days who I'm really excited to work with again, to see and link up with again. 'So to keep building on that and to bring our own twist on it and to win. I always want my teams to be aggressive, with and without the ball, and to be dominant.' The Rangers squad are currently on holiday and are not due back for pre-season until June 23. Martin will work alongside new sporting director Kevin Thelwell over the coming weeks to formulate plans around recruitment. It was also confirmed yesterday that Matt Gill, one of his long-time lieutenants, will come in as assistant manager, while Rhys Owen will join as a fitness and performance coach.
The Guardian
39 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Crystal Palace's Europe place in balance after Uefa rejects owners' blind trust move
Uefa has rejected offers from Crystal Palace shareholders John Textor and David Blitzer to put their shares in a blind trust to ensure the club can compete in Europe next season. Palace's participation in the Europa League has been cast into doubt as the club's largest shareholder Textor is also the majority owner of Lyon, who have also qualified for the second tier competition. And to compound matters, Blitzer's Danish club Brøndy have qualified for the Conference League, so the prospect of the FA Cup winners dropping into that competition is also not an option due to the European governing body's multi-club rules. Palace executives, including Textor and chairman Steve Parish, met with Uefa officials in Nyon on Tuesday to try to broker a solution without reaching a resolution. The Guardian has learned that the so-called blind trust option in which Textor's Palace shares would be placed in the hands of trustees next season was rejected by Uefa, as the as the club missed the deadline for registering the trust. Manchester City and Manchester United both used blind trusts to ensure compliance with Uefa multi-club rules last season after their partner clubs, Girona and Nice, both also qualified for the Champions League and Europa League respectively, while Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis also transferred his shares when Nuno Espirito Santos' side and his Greek club Olympiacos looked on course to qualify for next season's Champions League. Uefa rules state that such ownership changes must take place before 1 March to take effect in time for the following season, however, with Palace told this week that they will not be shown any flexibility. European qualification was not on the agenda for Palace before March, as they were mid-table in the Premier League and had not progressed beyond the FA Cup fifth round. Palace are in danger of paying a heavy price for their lack of foresight, leading to considerable frustration at Uefa's lack of flexibility. Uefa declined to comment, but sources at the European governing body stressed that given more than 300 clubs take part in its competitions each season, it has to ensure that the regulations are applied consistently. Textor told the Daily Mail after Tuesday's meeting that he is looking to sell his 45% stake in Palace, but there is little realistic prospect of that happening in time to influence Uefa's decision, with the Europa League qualifying draw due to take place on 17 June. Just three weeks ago on the eve of the FA Cup final, The Guardian revealed that Textor was seeking to buy out fellow American shareholders, Blitzer and Josh Harris, who own 36% of the club between them. The two parties have previously held on-off talks about buying each other out, but have never got close to an agreement on price. Textor also signalled his intention to sell Palace when he was attempting to buy Everton last summer without making any discernible progress. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion With a quick sale and the transfer of shares seemingly off the table, Palace's best hope of playing in the Europa League for the first time appears to be persuading Uefa that Textor has no influence at Selhurst Park, although this may not be straightforward. In addition to his 45% stake Textor has 25% equal voting rights with Parish, Blitzer and Harris, and is known to have played a key role in the appointment of the manager Oliver Glasner last year. Textor has declined to comment. Uefa rules make clear that any influence at two clubs in the same competition is prohibited. 'No one may simultaneously be involved in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration, and/or sporting performance of more than one club participating in a Uefa club competition,' the regulations state. 'No individual or legal entity may have control or influence over more than one club participating in a Uefa club competition, (including) holding a majority of the shareholders' voting rights; having the right to appoint or remove a majority of the members of the administrative, management or supervisory body of the club; being a shareholder and alone controlling a majority of the shareholders' voting rights pursuant to an agreement entered into with other shareholders of the club; or being able to exercise by any means a decisive influence in the decision-making of the club.' In the event of Palace being barred from the Europa League, Forest could be promoted to take their place after qualifying for the Conference League by finishing seventh in the Premier League. Palace's rivals Brighton, who finished eighth, could then replace Forest in the Conference League. Palace's European position is under threat rather than Lyon's, as Uefa rules state that the club ranked highest in its domestic championship will be given entry to the competition. Lyon's sixth-place finish in Ligue 1 gives them precedence over Palace, who came 12th in the Premier League.
