Wolves v Brentford: Did you know?
Following their 5-3 win in the reverse fixture, Brentford are looking to complete their first league double over Wolves since the 2015-16 Championship campaign.Wolves have lost their final league match in each of the past seven seasons by an aggregate score of 19-2. They have also lost their final game in nine of their 10 Premier League campaigns, with the exception being a 2-1 win over Sunderland in 2009-10.Brentford have scored 65 goals in the Premier League this season, their most in a top-flight campaign since 1937-38 (69 goals). Their conversion rate in 2024-25 is 15.2%, the best of any side.
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The Guardian
19 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘Boultercanu' serve doubles delight as women's tennis returns to Queen's
Moments before Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter walked on to court one to add a touch of pizzazz to a historic day at Queen's Club, a lady carrying an empty Pimm's jug went to go for a refill. 'I'm sorry but if you leave, we won't be able to let you straight back in,' she was told by a steward. 'You will have to queue.' The woman thought for a moment, looked at the packed stands, and returned to her seat. It turned out to be a wise decision. And not just because the queue to see the British pair – or 'Boultercanu' as the press had already anointed them – was snaking halfway around Queen's Club. For when the action began, Raducanu and Boulter proved to be an instant sensation as they walloped the doubles pair of China's Jiang Xinyu and Taiwan's Wu Fang-hsien 6-4, 6-2. But it was not only the quality of their play in their first match together that stood out. There were also plenty of laughs, high fives and jokes, which continued at the press conference afterwards. Asked whether they might be tempted to also give the doubles a whirl at Wimbledon, Raducanu played it straight. 'We're just going to keep trying to do as best as we can this week and take it from there.' But before she could go on, Boulter interjected: 'Scrap what she said,' she laughed. 'We're going for the Wimbledon title.' 'I was actually very nervous before the match,' added Raducanu. 'Probably more nervous than the singles, because I just didn't really necessarily know what to do. But Katie made me feel so comfortable, and I'm just so pleased to get a win on the board.' The only pity was that many fans on the first day of women's tennis at Queen's Club since 1972 were unable to watch, as the match was played in front of 1,000 spectators on court one rather than on the Andy Murray Arena, which holds 7,700 seats. 'I think it is very swear-word annoying,' one spectator, Helen Millinersaid as she waited outside. 'I booked tickets for the Andy Murray Arena months ago, and was hoping to see Radders and Katie on there, especially given it is such a historic day. I tried to get on to court one to see them, but the queue was incredibly long,. I was told it would take an hour to get on.' A spokesperson later explained the decision was down to contractual issues obliging the WTA to put predominately singles matches on the main court. Court one was so intimate that when Raducanu filled her water bottle after the first set, she was able to have a quick chat with some of the spectators that were less than a metre away from her. Not that she minded. 'I love playing on those smaller, outside courts where you really feel the support and the crowd gets into it,' said Raducanu, who showed no signs of a back spasm that had interrupted her preparations. 'I was filling my bottle up, and I was literally having a chat in the stands, because that's how close it is.' Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Those hoping to see the match on TV were also left disappointed as the BBC showed Sonay Kartal's match against Daria Kasatkina instead. But Kartal, who has moved into the top 50 in the world, certainly lived up to her billing as she played one of the best matches in her career to beat the world No 16 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. 'I was excited to be the first Brit on the Andy Murray Arena,' Katal said. 'I think it's an incredible court and the packed crowd was right behind me exactly when I needed it. I loved every second. It was super special.' Having a WTA 500 women's tournament is not the only change at Queen's this year. For the first time, there are also no line judges. It means that when a player hits a ball out, the crowd hears pre-recorded voices collected by the Lawn Tennis Association from its members and partners. Not that it was entirely successful. Several times when the ball clattered into the net, a cry of 'Out!' was heard. For the first time, spectators have colour-coded stickers under their seats. A green sticker means they can leave while play is going on. But if they have an orange one, they can only move at the end of a game. Red means they can only do so at a change of ends or a set. The good news for those coming to Queen's on Tuesday is that Boulter and Raducanu will be back in action in the singles – with Boulter kicking things off against Ajla Tomljanovic before Raducanu faces Cristina Bucșa. And, yes, both matches will be on the Andy Murray Arena.
Telegraph
27 minutes ago
- Telegraph
TNT Sports brands rugby rebel league ‘delusional'
Power brokers at TNT Sports, England's principal rugby broadcaster, have rubbished the emergence of a proposed breakaway league, called R360, branding it 'delusional' and ' commercially unsustainable '. Telegraph Sport revealed last week how Mike Tindall, the Rugby World Cup winner and member of the Royal family, was one of the driving forces behind rugby's new breakaway global league, pitched as 'driving generational change in rugby', which is scheduled to launch later this year with a number of players reportedly having signed pre-contractual agreements which are valid until September. But the concept has been derided by both TNT Sports and Premiership Rugby, the two bodies who agreed a new television deal until the end of the 2030-31 season last month. 'I'm going to take my TNT Sports hat off just for the moment,' said Andrew Georgiou, president and managing director of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, which owns TNT. 'I've been involved in sport for 25 years. I can't tell you how many of these PowerPoint presentations have come across my desk with people who were absolutely certain that what they had on that page was going to be the new thing. It was going to be absolutely the new thing. 'I don't know the details of what's happening, no one's come to us and made a presentation, no one's told us what the new format is, no one told us what the new schedule is. I mean, I actually don't know much about it. But the one question that I think you guys should be asking is, 'how are they going to grow the revenue by putting this event on?' Where's the money coming from? The media industry is going through a massive generational change. There's been more change in the media industry in the last five years than there has been since the invention of cable television in the late 70s and early 80s. 'So, if these folks believe that they are going to grow the revenue by putting this thing on, I think they're delusional. I really do. What it will do is further complicate what is already a well-functioning rugby ecosystem. And so I would just ask some pretty fundamental questions around whether this is a commercially sustainable model. The fact that it's being likened to LIV Golf, I think is a perfect analogy. It's a perfect comparator to what this is really going to be. Commercially unsustainable.' When it was suggested that TNT Sports, therefore, would not be interested in bidding for broadcast rights on the new league, Georgiou replied: 'You bet.' Both TNT and the Premiership have experienced unprecedented growth this season. The league has seen 30 sold-out match days up from 18 last season and 13 the season before. This weekend's final, between Bath and Leicester, sold out in record time – with last season's show-piece also a full house – while growth among fans aged between 18 and 34 increased by 30 per cent in one year. Furthermore, Bath's play-off victory over Bristol last week was the most-viewed Friday night match ever on TNT. Red Bull's investment in Newcastle is understood to be nearing completion and Simon Massie-Taylor, Premiership Rugby's chief executive, believes that the league's previous financial woes are behind them and a new chapter is beginning. At board level, the Premiership will not allow itself to become distracted by R360 and Massie-Taylor has said that 'there has not been any engagement' with the breakaway league. 'It's not a threat per se,' said Massie-Taylor. 'But we have no idea how it could ever work full stop. But definitely for the club game. In England, in France, URC, southern hemisphere, how would it actually work and help develop the club game? 'But rugby needs roots, it doesn't need pop-ups. Rugby needs roots. The complicated thing about rugby is there's an international game, there's a club game that relies on, there's a community game. The whole thing's linked, the community game's inspired by both. Funding comes down to help the community game and there's this whole sort of connectedness to it. And that sometimes is an inhibitor to growth because you have to find a solution that compromises all these types of things. 'But without those roots, it's very difficult to understand how a system could ever work. The whole phrase [is] 'it takes a village', right? That one person who's going to turn up and go out on the field, there's a whole system, a whole team, a whole grass-roots network that needs to develop that person beyond just rocking up. 'I'd be worried if players are counting on that because they may miss out on genuine opportunities that exist within their club. Things need sanctioning for a start and things need money coming through the door before these people can actually get paid.'
Daily Mirror
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Arsenal finally seal permanent transfer for signing dubbed 'a scandal'
Arsenal have sanctioned the departure Marquinhos, who will join Brazilian side Cruzeiro, three years after his transfer was ridiculed by those back in South America Arsenal have offloaded Marquinhos with the forward going back to Brazil - three years after his signing was labelled a "scandal" by those back in South America. The 22-year-old joined from Sao Paulo and is now heading back to the Brazilian Serie A with Cruzeiro in a £2.5m move. His appearances were few and far between and he ended up playing just six times in all competitions, scoring the once. Marquinhos spent much of his time out on loan with spells at Norwich City, Nantes, Fluminense and Cruzeiro during his time on Arsenal's books and has now made his move to Brazil a permanent one after failing to make the grade at the Emirates. An Arsenal statement said: "Marquinhos has moved to Brazilian Serie A side Cruzeiro in a permanent transfer." It added: "Everyone at Arsenal would like to thank Marquinhos for his contribution to the club and wish him all the best for the future." He cost Arsenal just €3million in compensation fees when he originally moved as the Premier League side took advantage of his deal expiring that summer. Marquinhos came through the youth system at Sao Paulo and was tipped to have a major impact with several of the country's pundit identifying him as a talent in his teenage years. They were therefore left stunned that his contract was allowed to wind down, which meant he was able to leave for such a minor fee. World Cup winner Vampeta was among those and claimed it was "absurd". He said: "Marquinhos' business. They're going to lose Marquinhos to Arsenal for €3m. I don't know if you remember that I used to say I watched Audax's academy games, Marquinhos in the under-15… he used to already make the difference. I said here on the show, 'There's an U-15 at Sao Paulo, Marquinhos'… Now he's going to leave on a silver platter." TV Host Thiago Asmar claimed that Marquinhos should be worth at least €10-15m as he said it was a "scandal" for him to be allowed to depart for such a minimal amount. Former Arsenal chief Edu claimed that Marquinhos was "a player for the future" but Mikel Arteta was never able to unlock his potential. The Brazilian had a number of players ahead of him in the pecking order and opportunities ultimately never came his way. The Gunners are looking to further bolster their frontline this summer with wide forwards on their shortlist. They've been linked with the likes if Nico Williams, who has become a leading light at Athletic Bilbao and could be tempted by a move to the Premier League.
