Browsing: style

“I have seen enough fashionistas come in and out of this division,” says new Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche. “You’ve got to win the games, it’s as simple as that.”

The 54-year-old might not class himself as a football fashionista but as coaches place increasing emphasis on set-pieces and ‘going long’ he may find himself in vogue.

Ange Postecoglou lasted just 39 days at Forest after being brought in to win trophies and play more expansive, attacking football having replaced Nuno Espirito Santo on 9 September.

He lost six and drew two of his eight games in charge as the squad struggled to adapt quickly enough to the new manager’s demands.

Soon after Dyche walked down the stairs of the club’s museum in the Trent End as Forest’s third manager of the season, he outlined his philosophy and style, having been criticised at Burnley and Everton.

“I did a podcast with Tony Pulis and Mick McCarthy, Tony’s now being lauded for long throws when before he was getting hammered [as manager of Stoke],” said Dyche, who has signed a deal until the summer of 2027.

“It’s the fashion of football, it changes all the time and I’m not pontificating one way or the other but the bit I like is when you win.

“The Forest fans accepted a different way of working than in the history of this club last season which was very successful. They are more open-minded now.

“The players are aware of it. I took a lot of feedback from the players. They are very proud of what they did last season. That is no problem for me because I agree with them. Now can we mould it slightly differently but keep that winning mentality?

“Long ball, short ball? You’ve just got to play effective football. That will never go out of fashion.”

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

SHOW SUMMARY:PWTorch editor Wade Keller presents the Tuesday Flagship edition of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast with guest co-host Rich Fann, a PWTorch columnist and podcaster. They cover these topics:

• Seth Rollins’s injury (apparent injury!), Bron Breakker’s turn on Seth, and where this all goes from here
• Where does Brock Lesnar fit into the Paul Heyman-Bron Breakker dynamic
• What is Breakker’s upside and is there reason to be more optimistic or less optimistic about his chance to be a top top act
• An overview of the WWE Women’s Division including how Stephanie Vaquer is doing so far and whether WWE needs to a have a clear top few acts or is having a 10-12 diverse top tier acts a positive
• A review of Bound for Glory including Santana’s big win and the post-match happenings, The Dudleys vs. The Hardys, some unsatisfying finishes, the needless length of the show, and more.
• A sidebar on how much fun Frankie Kazarian seems to be having at this stage of his career
• AEW WrestleDream line-up
• Reaction to the Kota Ibushi injury, Kenny Omega’s actions afterward, Tony Khan’s response to the injury, and a discussion on whether it’s time to reign in the style so there aren’t such dangerous, career-shortening, roster-depleting moves in so many big and not-so-big matches

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Nic Nemeth praises a recent promo involving WWEâ€s CM Punk and LA Knight.

Having spent 19 years under the WWE banner, Nic Nemeth is quite familiar with the layout and patterns of the companyâ€s television product, including on-screen talent promos. This week, however, he found himself genuinely surprised by one featured om an episode of WWE Raw.

“LA Knight was putting so many positives on everybody,†Nemeth said on Busted Open Radio, recalling the verbal exchange between LA Knight and CM Punk. “It is the oldest go-to psychology in the world. Thereâ€s always some kind of little compliment sandwich that you throw in. Youâ€re like, ‘Hey, youâ€re one of the greatest of all time, but youâ€ve been pinned by Seth. I havenâ€t.†But he also got in, ‘Hey, youâ€ve been focusing on being a [husband] much more than being a wrestler or a champion, and thatâ€s not a bad thing.†To really have those caveats in there, itâ€s not being full blown black and white. It was time to shut him up, but he was saying factual things and not totally being a d*ck about it.â€

A Refreshing Change

A decade ago, Nemeth attests that a typical babyface on babyface promo would have seen both talents take general digs at each other. In the case of Knight and Punk, Knight laced in a real-life compliment, namely Punk taking time off to be a good husband to AJ Lee, before calling attention to his recent short world title run. In return, Punk pointed out that Knight has still never even been a world champion in WWE.

“To have the different interactions with people who have different problems with each other while also LA Knight staying a good guy, but a good guy that needed to be shut up at the right time, and he got it,†Nemeth said. “He got what was coming to him, but not as a heel. Thereâ€s such a nuance there. Iâ€m just happy itâ€s not the way it was ten years ago where you had to go, ‘You suck, I donâ€t care, I should be the champ.†Instead, we get real life locker room arguments and nuances and digs that arenâ€t just for dig sake, but they make sense.â€

RELATED: WWE Raw Results: Review, Grades, Card For Oct 6

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October 6, 2025 | Connor Whitehead

The opening weekend of the Premier Division, the top flight of the Senior British Clubs Leagues, got underway this weekend, as the action returned for the first time in the 2025/26 season.

For the first time in ten years, the format returned to a centralised venue, and with two new teams introduced to the division, the stakes have never been higher. Each team descended on St.Matthews Academy, the home of North Ayrshire TTC for the opening weekend of action, despite travel disruption for many of the players, coaches, and organisers alike.

Find round by round reports from an epic weekend of action below. You can also find the full updated table, results, player averages and future fixture information by following the link to the BCL TT Leagues page here.

You can also head over to our YouTube channel where you can watch back the live action, and also catch up on full matches from every other fixture over the weekend, making sure you never miss a moment of the action, before a variety of match highlights will be uploaded over the course of gather week.Â

After a thrilling opening weekend, three teams got off to the perfect start and sit top of the table with four wins from four. BATTS, Ormesby, and reigning champions Brighton maintained an impeccable record. With three teams all sat on a maximum 12 points and the teams sit in that order on the overall table. Ormeau’s perfect Sunday leaves them in fourth on 8 points, followed by North Ayrshire and Fusion who both registered just the one victory. Newcomers eBaTT and Drumchapel find themselves on 4 points each, as they completed every fixture but weren’t able to register a win on the opening weekend, despite both teams coming agonisingly close.

The Premier Division heads to BATTS of Harlow on the 13 and 14 of December as the teams will go head to head again, with some crucial battles set to take place, where the three unbeaten sides will face each other, as the race to be crowned British Premier champions heats up. Join us at the Norman Booth centre where the action is free to view, or make sure you are subscribed to our YouTube channel to never miss a moment of the action again.

Round 1

The very first round of the season saw reigning champions Brighton TTC face off against newcomers eBaTT, on table one, streamed live via the Table Tennis England YouTube channel, for fans to watch at home. The very first match took us all the way to the fifth set, as 8 times Welsh Senior National Champion and Brighton number one, Callum Evans, came from behind to defeat Sammy Kaye, one of eBaTTâ€s homegrown talents. The much lower ranked Kaye certainly gave the Brighton player a scare. Last seasonâ€s leader of the averages, David Andersson of Sweden then took on eBaTT number one, Simon Belik, Czech Republic Menâ€s Singles silver medallist and established on the international stage. It looked like it would be Andersson who struck first on the scoreboard as he held game points, but the class of Belik shone through as he kicked on to a 3-0 victory, giving Andersson his first loss of the season in the very first match, after only losing one match in the whole of the 24/25 season. Brighton then staged an epic comeback to take the doubles, before Felix Thomis and Derek Abrefa went to head to head, both players making their Premier Division debutâ€s, where it was Brightonâ€s Thomis that came out on top 3-2. Belik then put eBaTT back in the game with an overall score of 3-2, as he defeated Evans. Thomis and Andersson gave Brighton a final scoreline victory of 5-2 with wins over Kaye and Abrefa respectively.

Ormesby completed a 7-0 whitewash over Ormeau, the other new club added to the Premier Division this season. Not an ideal start to the day for Ormeau with Paul Mcreery and Peadar Sheridan both only landing in Scotland on Saturday morning due to weather disrupting their travel. It was Ormesby mainstay David McBeath who kicked off the match with a 3-0 win over youngster Peadar Sheridan. Ormesby local lad, Ben Piggott, then defeated Spaniard Orioles Monzo 3-1, before a 5th game victory in the doubles opened up a 3-0 match lead. Louis Price secured the first victory of many for Ormesby against Paul Mcreery, before McBeath made it 4-0 with victory over Monzo. Price and Piggott then both took 3-1 victories over Sheridan and Mcreery to secure the perfect start for the Middlesbrough club.

Two much closer affairs occurred in the remaining two fixtures, as BATTS overcame Drumchapel Glasgow 4-3, and it was Fusion who upset the home crowd in the first round as the London side defeated hosts, North Ayrshire 4-3.

A double from Alexis Douin, Isaac Kinghamâ€s Premier Division debut victory over Drumchapel number one Danny Bajwa, and a decisive doubles helped the Essex club start their campaign off with a victory. Xinliang Sun of Drumchapel did maintain a 100% record, with a 3-1 victory over Ralph Pattison and withheld a comeback from Kingham to close that match out 3-2. Aaron McKibbin gave Drumchapel another point as he defeated Pattison 11-8 in the decisive fifth end.

The Fusion vs North Ayrshire fixture started with a closer than close battle as Shaquille Webb-Dixon clinched a 16-14 in the fifth victory over Martin Johnson. Fusion number one, Larry Trumpauskas made it 2-0 in straight games against Colin Dalgleish. The two North Ayrshire players then combined to take the doubles, before Swede, Viktor Gorman, levelled the match as he defeated Josh Bruce. Trumpauskas then made it advantage Fusion, defeating Johnson 3-0, before Webb-Dixon secured the points with yet another 3-2 victory ,this time over Gorman. Dalgleish came out on top in the final matchup with a 3-1 win over Bruce.

Brighton 5 – 2 eBaTT
Ormesby 7 – 0 Ormeau
BATTS 4 – 3 North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire 3 – 4 Fusion

Round 2

BATTS took on Fusion on table one which you can watch back here to relive the epic action, as two unbeaten teams went head to head. It was the Essex side who came out on top as BATTS defeated Fusion 7-0, a scoreline that does not reflect just how close a lot of the matches were. The fixture started off with a rematch of the U21 National Championships final as U21 National Champion Larry Trumpauskas took on Isaac Kingham the U21 silver medallist. It was silver medallist, Kingham who took the match 3-2, after never being ahead until the fifth and final game, to puts BATTS ahead. Undefeated Douin and Webb-Dixon then went toe to toe, as the Fusion player led 8-3 in the third end, before Douin, unbeaten in three seasons in Britain, launched an almighty comeback which saw him take the win 3-1. More straightforward matches followed, as BATTS raced into a 5-0 lead, adding the doubles, a 3-0 win for Douin over Trumpauskas, and Ralph Pattisonâ€s 3-1 victory over Robert Pelc. Pelc then pushed Isaac Kingham to 5 games, before Kingham closed out the fifth set 11-6 giving BATTS a 6-0 lead, before Webb-Dixon conceded the last match vs Pattison due to cramp.

The victory of the round came from Martin Johnson, as he defeated Simon Belik, as he guided North Ayrshire to their first victory on home soil, as they defeated eBaTT 5-2. The fixture started with Belik defeating Dalgleish in straight games, Johnson then replied for the hosts with his own straight games victory over Kaye. It was Kaye and Belik who combined to take the doubles victory, come from 2-0 down to take the lead overall. Viktor Gorman overcame Derek Abrefa 3-1 to level the match, before Johnson had yet another huge victory at a Premier Division fixture. Johnson defeated Belik 3-2, a player he grew up watching win several European medals when representing Scotland at European level. Dalgliesh then secured the victory for the Saltcoats based club, with a 3-2 win over Derek Abrefa, before Gorman closed out the fixture with a 3-0 win over Kaye.

Ormesby continued their decisive winning ways, defeating Drumchapel Glasgow 6-1. It was Xinliang (Ori) Sun that got the only win for the Scottish side, as he came from 2-0 down against Louis Price, and 5-0 down in the fifth to win the match. Ben Piggott also needed 5 ends in the first match to see off Danny Bajwa. Whereas David McBeath defeated Aaron McKibbin 3-0, as the master came out on top over the student, as McBeath coaches the GB Para Performance squad, that McKibbin is a member of. Piggot and Price combined to take the doubles, before Sun overcame Price in that marathon match. Mcbeath and Piggott then added 3-0 victories over Bajwa and Sun, before Louis Price chipped in with his own 3-0 victory over McKibbin.

Brighton continued their pursuit of a third consecutive Premier Division title as they overcame Ormeau 5-2. Andersson gave Brighton the first point as the two overseas stars went head to head, with Andersson of Sweden defeating Oriol Monzo of Spain 3-1. Callum Evans then closed out a deuce in the fifth victory over Paul Mcreery, before Ormeau got on the board, with their very first win of the season, coming in the doubles, as Sheridan and Monzo beat Andersson and Thomis 3-2. Felix Thomis maintained a perfect record with a 5gth set victory over impressive youngster Peadar Sheridan, the youngest player in the hall. Monzo then got his first singles victory of the 25/26 campaign in emphatic style, with a 3-0 win over Evans. Sheridan impressed once again, as he took on Andersson, in a very close five set battle, it was the Swdede and Brighton star, Andersson, that took the win, much to the enjoyment of the travelling Brighton fans, who travelled over 9 hours to support their team. Felix Thomis ended a perfect debut for the club as he made it four wins from four, with his own fifth set victory over Mcreery.

Ormeau 2 – 5 Brighton
Drumchapel Glasgow 1 – 6 Ormesby
Fusion 0 – 7 BATTS
eBaTT 2 – 5 North Ayrshire

Round 3

Sundays opening round saw Brighton return to table one to once again look to add to their tally of points, and they did so successfully with a 6-1 convincing victory over Drumchapel Glasgow. Evans and Andersson started proceedings with wins over Sun and Bajwa. Brighton took the doubles, before Thomis overcame McKibbin in three straight. Bajwa then put Drumchapel on the board, as he beat Callum Evans 3-1, with an inspired performance, in what is actually the first time he has ever taken a game off the Welsh player. Thomis and Andersson returned the south coast club to winning ways with 3-0 victories over Sun and McKibbin to round off their third straight victory.

Ormesby TTC also unbeaten on day one, looked to maintain their unbeaten record as they took on Fusion. The match got off to a winning start for Ormesby, as McBeath defeated Webb-Dixon 3-1. Larry Trumpauskas then took on Louis Price, with the Fusion number one coming out on top in a closely fought 3-1 scoreline. Webb-Dixon personally claimed that Fusion had been weak in the doubles, during an earlier interview, however he and Trumpauskas turned this claim on its head as they defeated Piggott and McBeath in four. Ben Piggott then levelled the score defeating Joshua Bruce. Then came the battle of the two number one players, between McBeath and Trumpauskas. Trumpauskas worked up a 2-1 lead, before McBeath took the game to the fifth and final end. Trumpauskas held multiple match points, before McBeath worked up one of his own, and took the match on his first match point. Piggott then met Webb-Dixon and it was Piggott who came out on top 3-1 to secure the two points for Ormesby, before Louis Price closed out the fixture with a win over Bruce.

In the longest match of the round, the home side, North Ayrshire took on BATTS, who were also looking to remain unbeaten. Alexis Douin, also unbeaten, continued his fine form with a straight sets victory over Viktor Gorman. Kingham made it 2-0 to BATTS as he overcame Martin Johnson, before Douin and Kingham combined to make it 3-0 for the Essex based club. Ralph Pattison, returning to the Premier Division, after a small break competing at the elite level, and Ralph certainly worked his way back into fine form as the weekend went on, adding Dalgleish to his list of victims, coming out on top 3-1. Douin then made it 5-1, with a fine victory over Martin Johnson. Viktor Gorman and Colin Dalgleish earn the two points for the home side. Even though the result was secured for BATTS, the two North Ayrshire players gave the home crowd something to cheer about, as they defeated Pattison and Kingham respectively.

Irish side Ormeau earns their first victory of the campaign as they squeezed past eBaTT 4-3. Oriol Monzo started proceedings with a 3-0 victory over Sammy Kaye, before the North London newcomers hit back, with Simon Belik defeating Peadar Sheridan. Mcreery and Monzo took the decisive doubles match. The 4-3 scoreline just shows how important the doubles match is to the overall match score. Mcreery then overcame Abrefa 3-1, to give Ormeau a 3-1 lead overall. Belik defeated Monzo, before Mcreery secured Ormeauâ€s first points of the campaign as he took out Sammy Kaye 3-0. In the final match of the fixture, Derek Abrefa defeated Peader Sheridan 11-9 in the fifth and final game.

Brighton 6 – 1 Drumchapel Glasgow
Ormesby 5 – 2 Fusion
BATTS 5 – 2 North Ayrshire
Ormeau 4 – 3 eBaTT

Round 4

In the final fixture of the first weekend, Brighton made it a perfect start to the season as they earn their fourth win from four matches, as they cruised to a 6-1 victory over Fusion. Andersson started the victory with a 3-0 win over Larry Trumpauskas, and it was Evans who made it 2-0 as he also added his own straight games victory over Webb-Dixon to double Brightonâ€s lead. Andersson and Thomis then overcame the Fusion number one and two. The battle of the teamâ€s number threeâ€s saw Thomis maintain his impeccable record with a 3-1 win over Bruce. Trumpauskas then added the South London sides first victory to the scoreboard, completing a 3-0 win over Evans. Two more straight set wins came for Brighton as Andersson took out Bruce and Thomis rounded off a perfect weekend and debut over Webb-Dixon.

Ormesby also remain unbeaten after weekend one as they took to table one to face North Ayrshire. The first there matches all going the distance, saw Ormesby come out on top in two of the three. That started with Piggottâ€s 3-2 victory over Johnson, 11-9 in the deciding end. McBeath cruised into a 2-0 lead over Dalgleish, before the Scotsman fought back into the game, taking the third and fourth end 11-9 and 12-10, before McBeath closed out the game 11-9 in the fifth. The only fifth set victory that went the way of the home team came courtesy of the doubles, as Johnson and Dalgleish clinched it 11-9 in the decider. Price then gave a service masterclass as he raced to a 3-1 victory over Gorman, despite losing the first end, he then took control taking the second end 11-1, and seeing out the match 11-3 in the fourth. McBeath then took out Johnson 3-0, before Gorman then struck back with a fantastic 3-1 win over Piggott. Price then defeated Dalgleish in the final match of the whole weekend. A close match which was closer than the 5-2 scoreline suggests, as North Ayrshire could have claimed a 3-0 lead, had things gone the way of the home side.

BATTS became the third unbeaten side as they finished the weekend with an emphatic 7-0 victory over eBaTT. Douin defeated Kaye 3-0, before Ralph Pattison defeated the highly rated Simon Belik 3-0, with a series of blistering attacks, that took the eBaTT number one by surprise, who was already struggling due to a minor hand injury, and could not stop the flurry of attacks from the former U21 National Cup winner. Isaac Kingham then joined forces with Douin again to clinch the doubles, before he added a singles victory with a 3-2 win over Derek Abrefa. Belik then conceded his match against Douin, due to injury, a match which just the prospect excited the home fans with the two players having super exciting styles, hopefully we will see the two go head to head later in the season. Kingham made it six for the Essex club as he beat Kaye in there games. Abrefa just fell short once again as he lost his second fifth end thriller at the hands of Pattison.

Ormeau learnt from their difficult Saturday as they took maximum points from Sundayâ€s fixtures with a 7-0 whitewash of their own over Drumchapel Glasgow. Sheridan got the better of Bajwa in the fifth end, coming out on top 14-12 in the fifth. Oriol Monzo then clinched a fifth game victory of his own, in a more straight forward fifth end over Sun, as he ran to an 11-1 victory. It was also 3-2 for Mcreery and Sheridan in the doubles, before Drumchapelâ€s rising star Joe Mulhern took to the table, to replace the injured Aaron McKibbin. He threw everything at Mcreery as he took the first 14-12 before the experienced Paul Mcreery saw out a 3-1 victory. Monzo then beat Bajwa 3-0, before Sheridan earns yet another 3-2 victory, as the two youngest talents went head to head. Sheridan came out victorious over Mulhern 11-4 in the fifth.It was Mcreery who ended the weekend for the Ormeau side, and he did so with a fine 3-0 victory over Sun.

Fusion 1 – 6 Brighton
North Ayrshire 2 – 5 Ormesby
BATTS 7 – 0 eBaTT
Drumchapel Glasgow 0 – 7 Ormeau

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On April 23rd, the Paddle Palace Club in Tigard, Oregon came together to celebrate World Table Tennis Day with a full evening of private coaching, community matches, cutting-edge tech, and shared passion for the game.

Private Lessons with Top Coaches

Club members had the chance to book private lessons with two of the sportâ€s most respected minds:

• Jiwei Xia, the newest member of the Atlanta Blazers via the MLTT expansion draft, offered high-level technical and tactical insights.

• Christian Lillieroos, head coach of the Portland Paddlers, provided one-on-one coaching tailored to players looking to sharpen specific skills.

These lessons gave participants an invaluable learning experience with some of the best minds in North American table tennis.

Play a Pro: Novice League with Sean Oâ€Neill

As part of the Wednesday Night Novice League, players had a rare chance to face off against Sean Oâ€Neill, two-time US Olympian and Paddle Palace Sponsorships & Partnerships Manager. Sean played matches with league participants, offering a fun and memorable opportunity for players to test their skills against an Olympian in a relaxed round robin format.

Andro Tournament Shirts for All

To commemorate the event, every participant received an Andro performance wear tournament shirt, courtesy of Paddle Palace. This thoughtful gesture reflected the clubâ€s continued support for community-building and creating a professional experience for all levels.

Virtual Table Tennis Action

Sean also introduced Burke Walls, the clubâ€s new Manager, to the world of Eleven Table Tennis via the Meta 3 VR headset, showing how virtual reality is helping grow and diversify the sport. In parallel, members of the Eleven Table Tennis community joined the “paddlepalace†room online for a virtual meet-up centered around diversity and inclusion—the global theme of World Table Tennis Day.

Robot Demo: Precision Meets Technology

The club also showcased the Paddle Palace X2W Rally Robot—a cutting-edge training tool that never misses a shot. Fast, reliable, and customizable, it impressed attendees with its ability to simulate realistic play. Itâ€s currently available at a promotional price.

Special Offer: Free Paddle Case

To extend the celebration, Paddle Palace is offering a free paddle case with any order over $75, valid through April 28. Please enter the Coupon Code – FREECASEabove the cart at checkout to receive your special gift from PaddlePalace.com!

About World Table Tennis Day

World Table Tennis Day, celebrated each year on April 23, aims to bring people together through the sport, regardless of age, ability, gender, or background. With the theme of “Diversity and Inclusion,†the 2025 edition continued the ITTF Foundationâ€s mission to make table tennis a symbol of unity, equality, and mutual respect across cultures.

The campaign hashtag #TTBelongsToYou reminds the world that table tennis is for everyone.

From Olympian match-ups and private coaching to virtual rallies and custom shirts, Paddle Palaceâ€s 2025 World Table Tennis Day was a celebration of what makes this sport so powerful: it welcomes everyone.

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