Browsing: pushes

The Football Association has thrown its weight behind plans to revamp the European qualifying format for major international tournaments amid fears that the process has become stale.

Uefa is concerned that fans and broadcasters are no longer engaged by current routes to the World Cup and European Championships. Expanded competitions have removed a considerable element of jeopardy and there is an acceptance that fundamental changes must be implemented to reignite interest.

England have cruised to qualification for the 48-team 2026 World Cup with two games to spare, their match against Serbia on Thursday night barely relevant after they won an uninspiring group that also includes Albania, Latvia and Andorra. It has become a procession for bigger countries and the FAâ€s chief executive, Mark Bullingham, believes it is time to refresh the model.

“I think itâ€s really important to overhaul it,†he said. “I think we need to keep looking at ways to make international football even better and thereâ€s genuine appetite to do that. Uefa are clearly leading that, but Iâ€m one of a group of countries thatâ€s helping them to look at options.â€

Bullingham sits on a Uefa working group examining alternative formats. One potential move is to adopt a version of the Champions League-style “Swiss system†model where, rather than face a handful of sides twice in one smaller group, a range of opponents are faced once and teams are placed in one league table. It would mean Europeâ€s giants potentially encounter at least one similarly ranked team. An alternative could be that the Nations League, which has proved attractive to supporters and television companies, holds greater sway in deciding who qualifies.

The FA chair, Debbie Hewitt, echoed Bullinghamâ€s stance. “Football changes, the world changes, the number of tournaments changes, the number of teams playing in those tournaments changes,†she said. “So if we stick with the same model of qualification itâ€s probably going to get bent out of shape. I think we have to keep looking at challenging.â€

Hewitt suggested the existing group format would be retained for Euro 2028 and ruled out a pre-qualifying event for lower-ranked teams.

In October the Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin, confirmed discussions were under way. “There wonâ€t be any more matches but a more interesting format,†he said.

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Bullingham and Hewitt were speaking at a launch event in London for Euro 2028, which will take place across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Ticket prices are yet to be announced but Bullingham confirmed dynamic pricing, controversially adopted by Fifa for next yearâ€s World Cup, will not be used.

“There wonâ€t be any dynamic ticket pricing,†he said. “I think thatâ€s really well established. [There are a] couple of basic principles. One is not dynamic ticket pricing, and the other one is that approximately half of the tickets will be in category three, and also the fan first category, which is the category below that. So weâ€re really confident there will be a lot of accessible ticket prices.â€

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A return to form for Labuschagne would not entirely solve the issues Australia have around their batting line-up for the first Test against England at Perth on 21 November.

He was pushed up to open in his most recent Test – the World Test Championship final defeat by South Africa in which he returned scores of 17 and 22 – but has been batting at his previous position of number three for Queensland.

Were he to return at number three, the position he has scored all of his Test hundreds, Australia would still be looking for at least one opener.

Twenty-year-old Sam Konstas played in West Indies but managed only 50 runs across six innings. Though he scored a century for Australia A in India last month he has not passed 50 in four innings in domestic cricket this season and was dismissed by Scott Boland for a four-ball duck on Wednesday.

Tasmania’s uncapped opener Jake Weatherald, 30, scored a 99-ball 94 on day two of a low-scoring match against Western Australia on Thursday to push his case.

If Labuschagne returned as an opener then it would allow Australia to pick Cameron Green at number three and retain fellow all-rounder Beau Webster in the middle order, though Green only has one fifty in eight innings in that position since being pushed up the order for the Test final against South Africa.

Webster is currently out with an ankle injury but Green is in Australia’s squad for the three-match one-day international series against India which begins on Sunday.

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Players in the National Hockey League have almost always gone by nicknames, and the Detroit Red Wings are no exception.

Mention names like “Larks”, “Cat”, “Showtime”, and “Razor”, and fans immediately know that one is referring to Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane, and Lucas Raymond.

There’s a new nickname to be added to that list – Elmo.

That’s how 6’8″ forward Elmer Söderblom is referred to by head coach Todd McLellan, who is set to begin his first full season behind the Red Wings’ bench after being hired last December.

Söderblom is the tallest player in Red Wings history, and that’s before his height increases after putting on his pair of skates that almost look as if they were custom made for Shaquille O’Neal.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features.

Due to a higher center of gravity, skating can sometimes not be a strength for taller players. During practice at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday, McLellan directed Söderblom to move his feet quicker during an on-ice drill in resounding fashion.

The good news is that McLellan doesn’t believe that the skating of Elmer Söderblom – or Elmo, as he calls him – is an area of his game that needs work but that he can get caught up in his thoughts during specific practice situations.

“I think sometimes when Elmo is playing the game and he’s not thinking, he does move his feet,” McLellan said. “In practice when we’re working on specific moments and situations, I think he thinks it a little bit, so it slows him down. I’m not too worried about his feet in a game situation, but I’m just trying to push him in practice.”

“It’s Time”: Dylan Larkin Lays Out Clear Goal For Red Wings
The city of Detroit hasn’t hosted a Stanley Cup Playoff game since April 2016 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Joe Louis Arena, who at that time were overseen by general manager Steve Yzerman.

“In that moment, he was thinking probably, ‘Am I in the right spot, am I in the wrong spot?’ And he didn’t skate,” McLellan continued. “I just caught him there and it was a gentle reminder. I don’t think his skating is bad, but I think if he does chug into people and push, he’s a big load to handle. His feet moving, it’s a good thing for him.”

Söderblom has been getting looks playing on the top line alongside Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin in the absence of free-agent signing James van Riemsdyk, another candidate who could take that spot but has yet to officially skate with the Red Wings because of an ongoing family situation.

Last season, he was called up from the American Hockey League and ultimately scored four goals with seven assists in 26 games in what was his second prolonged stint at the NHL level.

If Söderblom plays well enough this season for the Red Wings, expect to see a lot more love for his new nickname.

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(L-R) Former DDCA secretary Vinod Tihara, current DDCA president Rohan Jaitley and secretary Ashok Sharma. New Delhi: Unrest has gripped…