Ange Postecoglou has explained what happened when he became involved in an explosive touchline row during Tottenham's win over Bournemouth.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Postecoglou involved in touchline rowTottenham beat Bournemouth 3-1Spurs boss booked for his outburstWHAT HAPPENED?

Tottenham ended 2023 with a 3-1 win against Bournemouth on New Year's Eve, but tensions boiled over in injury-time when Postecoglou had to be dragged away from a touchline row with Bournemouth staff. Spurs were incensed that Bournemouth didn't put the ball out when Alejo Veliz went down injured, with Postecoglou, Giovani Lo Celso and Bournemouth staff member Shaun Cooper all booked following the ensuing row.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPWHAT POSTECOGLOU SAID ABOUT THE ROW

The Tottenham boss played down the shocking incident after the match. When asked about the touchline confrontation, Postecoglou joked to reporters: "We all just came together to wish each a Happy New Year mate. Make some resolutions."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Spurs bounced back from a disappointing 4-2 defeat to Brighton with the 3-1 win in north London. The victory, coupled with Arsenal's 2-1 loss to Fulham, saw Postecoglou's side move to within a point of the Premier League top four.

Newcastle United are still interested in Southampton right-back Tino Livramento after seeing an initial advance rebuffed, and could re-enter formal negotiations in the coming days.

What's the latest on Tino Livramento to Newcastle?

That's according to i news, who claim that the Magpies remain in transfer talks for the 20-year-old Englishman after a £30m transfer offer was rejected by Saints earlier this month, with his team demanding £50m.

It is said that there is still a gulf in respective valuations of the player, with Eddie Howe's club likely needing to raise their offer to £40m to see the south coast side part with their precocious talent following relegation from the Premier League this year.

The report underscores Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth's emphasis on squad improvement this summer by landing two further incomings to consolidate the return to Champions League football, with the Toon finishing fourth in the English top-flight last term.

Is Tino Livramento a good player?

Kieran Trippier has proved a remarkable signing for Howe's Newcastle project since arriving from Atletico Madrid in a £12m deal in January 2022, earning praise as a "revelation" by talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan and recording a remarkable average Sofascore rating of 7.61 in the league last season.

However, the England international will be 33-years-old in two months' time and Howe is working aptly in identifying an heir.

Livramento, who was restricted to just two Premier League appearances across the 2022/23 campaign following his recovery from a long-term injury, is now hoping to return to full fitness and could find his comeback well-suited to the role as Trippier's understudy, making the increments to both fitness and form as he ascends to the upper echelon of full-backs in English football, already praised as "excellent" by England manager Gareth Southgate.

Once hailed for his semblance to Premier League legend Gareth Bale by former teammate Theo Walcott, Livramento looks to hold the qualities requisite for success at the zenith of the game, and why not continue his burgeoning rise at a team enjoying their own rise to the fore in Newcastle?

Walcott said:

"Do you know what, he reminds me a little bit of Gareth Bale when he came through as a full-back. That's a big statement of course to compare him to someone like that but just feel like his presence and the way he drives and the pace and the power and it's no surprise that you know what he's going to do."

By utilising his pace, power and surging nature down the right flank, he could effectively contribute to both offensive and defensive sequences, which would aid winger Jacob Murphy in his efforts to succeed next season.

Murphy was a figure shrouded in shadow for much of his time on Tyneside after signing from Norwich City in a £12m move 2017 but played 36 times in the Premier League last season as Howe found good use of his industrious nature and "relentless" work rate – as was dubbed by Chris Waugh – and he now looks an indispensable member of a thriving outfit.

The £35k-per-week gem also ranks among the top 12% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries, the top 16% for touches in the attacking box and the top 17% for progressive passes received, as per FBref.

Effectively, this means that he would be well-placed to thrive with someone such as Livramento behind him, constantly pressing the player further up the pitch and allowing him to drift into promising openings in the danger areas, and Newcastle must now swoop.

Cameos from de Villiers and Behardien gave an inexperienced bowling attack enough runs as cushion and they used it well to topple Bangladesh

The Report by Mohammad Isam26-Oct-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsQuinton De Kock smashed 59 off 44 balls•CHARL DEVENISH/AFP/Getty ImagesAnother match, another win for South Africa: nothing much has changed on this tour. The hosts took the first T20I in Bloemfontein by 20 runs, but for the first time in four weeks, Bangladesh put up a proper fight.Quinton de Kock smacked a half-century, AB de Villiers, in one of his moods, hit eight boundaries in his first 16 balls and Farhaan Behardien produced a fine knock as finisher to take South Africa to a total of 195. Then, Dane Paterson, Andile Phehlukwayo, Beuran Hendricks and debutant Robbie Frylinck picked up two wickets each to keep Bangladesh down to 175 for 9 in 20 overs.Mehidy Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan bowled effectively against a set of rampaging batsmen. Later, Soumya Sarkar and Mohammad Saifuddin did well to put pressure an inexperienced South African attack. It wasn’t enough, but it was something worth talking about from the visitors.After JP Duminy decided to bat, the home side banked on two strong partnerships to post a competitive total. A 79-run second wicket stand between de Villiers and de Kock gave them the foundation before the unbroken 62-run fifth wicket stand between David Miller and Behardien gave them the sparkling finish.Bangladesh’s bowlers started well, taking their earliest first wicket on tour when Mehidy removed Hashim Amla in the second over. De Villiers arrived at the crease at that point and saw de Kock hit three fours before getting down to business himself.He started with two fours off Rubel Hossain in the fifth over that went for 14. He struck Shafiul Islam for four boundaries in the next over that went for 18. In the seventh over, de Villiers hammered Saifuddin for two more fours as South Africa got 44 runs in these three overs.Over the next three overs though, Mehedi and Shakib gave away only 20 runs and that made a difference as de Villiers went for another of his big shots only to hole out to long-off. He finished with 49 off 27 balls.A spell of 27 balls without a boundary was broken in the 12th over when the South African stand-in captain JP Duminy tonked a full toss over deep midwicket. It was the only bad ball in Mehidy’s entire spell, which yielded 2 for 31.Imrul Kayes completed a great catch at long-on to remove Duminy in the 13th over, which also included a marginal run-out call which went South Africa’s way. De Kock, the batsman reprieved, fell lbw to Rubel Hossain in the 15th over, having made 59 off 44 balls. And though he wasn’t too wasn’t happy with the decision he didn’t even try to review it.Behardien and Miller came together with the score on 133 for 4 with five overs left. They only got five boundaries in that time, but by pinching twos at every opportunity, they were still able to ransack 62 runs.Bangladesh took to the chase in earnest, Kayes smashing the first ball from Paterson for four over mid-off and Sarkar joining in with a massive six over mid-on.They kept up with the required rate while the field restrictions were on – for the cost of Kayes’ wicket – but their hopes of building on such a fine start were put to bed by Frylinck and Phehlukwayo. One made Shakib his maiden T20I wicket and the other trapped Sarkar lbs for 47.Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah followed Sarkar to the pavilion, leaving Bangladesh at 101 for 5 in the 12th over. The contest was as good as done when Sabbir Rahman, the last specialist batsman, fell 15 balls later. Paterson added the exclamation point to that statement, taking two wickets in two balls, one of them off a scorching yorker, as Bangladesh kept unravelling.It was against this backdrop that Saifuddin made a composed 39 off 27 balls. He hadn’t allowed South Africa to get too many in the last over of their innings and he ensured they wouldn’t bowl Bangladesh out, taking 15 runs off the last over of the match.

Football clubs are some of the biggest brands in the world these days, and GOAL brings you the top 10 most searched football clubs in 2021.

The year 2023 was monumental in football due to several iconic events. Cristiano Ronaldo broke ties with Manchester United to join Al-Nassr and kick off a Saudi Pro League "All-Stars" frenzy, eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi surprised everyone by moving to David Beckham's Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami on the back of lifting the 2022 World Cup and solidifying his GOAT status, Manchester City winning the treble and more.

Needless to say, football teams were googled heavily across the calendar year. People across the globe search for football teams to keep track of their results, position in respective league tables, and the high-profile transfers in the football world.

If you're anything crazy like us, you might have wondered which clubs occupy football fans’ search engines the most. If yes, then you are in the right place to find it out. Here at GOAL, we present you with the list of the top 10 searched football clubs on Google.

• LaLiga
  

  Real Madrid | 44.5 million average monthly searches

  With Real Madrid winning the Champions League, La Liga, and the Spanish Super Cup in 2021-22, the bar was set extremely high for the 2022-23 campaign.

  Although they ended the season with three trophies, securing the Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, it wasn't quite the campaign that Carlo Ancelotti's side would have hoped for, finishing second in the La Liga table, second in the Spanish Super Cup and were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

  However, they have bounced back impressively in the new season, and there is no reason why they cannot again be major contenders for the biggest prizes despite enduring a full-blown injury crisis in the defensive department.

  In what was supposed to be a difficult season for Los Blancos, with Karim Benzema gone and no Kylian Mbappe to replace him, summer recruit Jude Bellingham has stepped up, and taken the football world by storm, while Vinicius Jr. has continued his fine form.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Manchester United | 33.8 million average monthly searches

  The Red Devils showed great promise in the first season of Erik ten Hag’s leadership, finishing third in the Premier League, winning the Carabao Cup (their first piece of silverware in more than half a decade), whilst also reaching the FA Cup final.

  But the 2023/24 campaign has so far proved a major step backwards, with Manchester United seemingly lurching from one crisis to another and seeing a number of their top stars failing to perform. They look like a team lacking identity, while eyebrows have been raised about Ten Hag's questionable man management and transfer policy.

  Now with the club’s new investor – the British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe – taking over the charge of all operations, including transfer dealings at Old Trafford, it seems the club are gearing up for a complete top-to-bottom overhaul in the next year.

• getty images
  

  Galatasaray | 32.4 million average monthly searches

  Back-to-back Süper Lig titles in 2018 and 2019 saw Galatasaray return to the top of Turkish football after a three-season title drought. However, another three years without a title followed, and the second most successful club in Turkish football history fell off dramatically, with their 13th place finish in 2021-22 their lowest ever across any Turkish top-flight campaign.

  Enter, Okan Buruk. And the man has well-and-truly transformed their fortunes. They went onto have an absolutely incredible season in 2022-23 and managed to win the league title against all odds.

  Gala supporters love nothing more than witnessing eye-catching dribbles, free-flowing football, and sensational goals. Recent seasons had been short on this, however. In that respect, 2023 is a return to form for the entire league, with flashy, silky players such as Wilfried Zaha, Hakim Ziyech, and goal-machine Mauro Icardi arriving at the club.

  The Turkish giants are also notorious for their hostile treatment of visitors to RAMS Park, and a return to European football has been a treat to watch. Their Ultras never disappoint with their atmosphere, and Tifos, which have another level of popularity all over the world; you might have come across the huge "Welcome To Hell" sign on the internet ahead of their Champions League clash against Man United.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• (C)Getty Images
  

  Manchester City | 29.3 million average monthly searches

  Manchester City were the centre of attention of the football world in 2023, and for good reason— they enjoyed the most successful season in their history. They won the Premier League. They won the FA Cup. They, at last, won the Champions League.

  It finally all came together for the Citizens, who for long stretches of the season looked as if they wouldn't add anything to their trophy cabinet racked up in recent years. Talismanic striker Erling Haaland steamrolled his way through English football, and broke all sorts of goal-scoring records to power Pep Guardiola's side to a historic treble.

  But there was another tale of the medal around the necks at the Etihad. The Premier League champions were hit with 115 charges of breaching financial rules, and refused to cooperate with the investigations.

  They weren't just dominating the pitch; they were ruling the bank. They topped the Deloitte Football Money League, claiming the title of the football club with the most revenue worldwide, with a staggering $808.1 million (€731m) in the treasury. Forbes also chipped in, ranking them to be the world's sixth-most valuable club, at $4.500 billion (€4bn).

  Although they have looked a tad bid complacent at the start of the 2023-24 season, expect them to storm back into contention for nearly every club-level top honour by the end of the campaign.

Chelsea are on the hunt for midfield reinforcements this summer and now a fresh update has emerged on a potential transfer target who could be the perfect alternative to Moises Caicedo.

What's the latest on Chelsea's interest in Tyler Adams?

According to The Times (as relayed by The Daily Mail), the Blues are now interested in signing Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams this summer.

As per the report, the London giants have added Adams to their shortlist of alternatives should they be unable to secure the signature of the Brighton and Hove Albion star this summer, with Mauricio Pochettino intent on bringing in new additions to bolster the midfield presence at Stamford Bridge.

Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…

How good is Tyler Adams?

The departures of Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount and N'Golo Kante this summer have significantly weakened the experience and quality in midfield ahead of the upcoming Premier League season, so bringing in much-needed reinforcements will likely be the top priority for the new Chelsea boss.

The West London club couldn't maintain their high expectations over last season, finishing 12th in the Premier League, struggling to make an impact on the European stage and failing to qualify for Champions League football, meaning there is a real opportunity for Pochettino to focus on domestic competition and the squad rebuild.

As a result, the signing of Adams could be a great piece of business for Chelsea this summer and would present a much cheaper alternative to their top target Caicedo who has an ever-rising £100m price tag, whereas the Leeds star is believed to have a much cheaper £20m relegation release clause, according to The Athletic.

Despite being relegated with the west Yorkshire outfit last season, Adams was a stand-out performer in the Leeds squad executing a hard-working attitude, sound leadership skills and outstanding defensive strengths in the centre of the pitch, all of which will be attractive attributes to Pochettino in his search for the right midfield additions.

As per FBref, the USMNT captain ranked in the top 17% of his positional peers in the Premier League per 90 minutes for tackles won, percentage of dribblers tackled, blocks, interceptions, ball recoveries and percentage of aerial duels won, proving that he is a valuable asset in the deep defensive midfield role.

Not only that, when comparing the 24-year-old's output to Caicedo's last season, the pair came close in a number of key attributes including pass completion (82.5% v 88.5%), progressive passes (5.68 v 6.28), tackles (3.27 v 2.87), interceptions (1.46 v 1.61) and aerial duels won (1.04 v 1.06), per 90 minutes played.

Adams has been the recipient of high praise over his first season in the English top-flight due to his positive performances in the disjointed team at Elland Road, with TEAMtalk journalist James Marshment outlining the midfielder's leadership qualities:

"Tyler Adams – a lion on the pitch; a dignified, intelligent, humble and politically savvy person off it. He'll go a long way that lad."

With that being said, if Pochettino is looking to bolster Chelsea's defensive presence on a stricter budget, there is no doubt that Adams would be a worthy alternative to Caicedo this summer.

Liverpool are moving quickly to secure the signing of Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia according to Fabrizio Romano.

The 19-year-old midfielder has been targeted by a number of top Premier League sides this summer.

What is the latest news regarding Romeo Lavia?

The Belgian looks set to make his move away from St Mary's soon

That's according to journalist Sacha Tavolieri, who took to Twitter to reveal that Liverpool's second bid for the midfielder had been submitted this morning, with the focus on sorting out the payment structure and ensuring the bonuses are achievable. The player is prepared to leave and undergo his medical ahead of his move, with the Reds ideally wanting the midfielder to join up with them in Singapore. Tavolieri stated that it is simply a "matter of time" before the deal is completed.

The Merseyside outfit submitted an opening offer for the Belgian on Tuesday according to David Ornstein, with the offer reportedly worth £37m, which the Saints rejected, however, the club have come back in with a second improved offer to try and complete a deal.

The Reds are the first team to submit an official bid for the Belgian, despite the youngster attracting interest from Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City following a bright first season in the Premier League, where the youngster made 29 appearances for Southampton last season, scoring one goal vs Chelsea in August and earning plenty of praise, with The Athletic journalist Jacob Tanswell naming the midfielder as his Southampton Player of the Year.

Premier League Hall of Fame member Rio Ferdinand was also full of praise for the midfielder, stating after the Saints defeat to Manchester United:

"The way he has started and immediately performed here kind of justifies the conviction that Southampton have had in going and getting him. He is a young player who can do both sides of the game, equally good defensively but also once he is on the ball he has tremendous feet and can pass it."

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano revealed that Liverpool are trying to complete the deal quickly due to the fact that Chelsea are also interested in the midfielder:

"It will be a £45m package; £42.5m guaranteed and £2.5m in add-ons so £45m total package with add-ons included. Southampton always wanted £50m so let’s see how this bid will go but Liverpool are strongly working on the Romeo Lavia deal because they know Chelsea have always been keeping an eye on Lavia, Chelsea have always been interested but no bid at this moment, so Liverpool are favourites to make the deal, but they are moving fast because they know Chelsea are keeping an eye on the situation."

Who will Lavia line up with?

Lavia is set to be the third addition to Liverpool's midfield this summer as they rebuild following a disappointing season last year.

The Reds have brought in two midfielders already, with Alexis Mac Allister arriving from Brighton and Hove Albion for a fee in the region of £35m and Dominik Szoboszlai from German outfit RB Leipzig for a fee in the region of £60m, with the pair impressing in the club's pre-season so far.

Manager Jurgen Klopp seems to be employing the same system that was used in the final games of last season, suggesting that should Lavia arrive, he would play as the left-sided defensive midfielder, partnering Trent Alexander-Arnold at the base of the midfield.

Lavia will not be playing with Jordan Henderson, who announced that he is leaving Liverpool, with his switch to Saudi Arabian side Al Ettifaq set to be announced soon. Fabinho is another player who could be departing Anfield, with his proposed switch to Al Ittihad back on after the deal had stalled and was under threat of collapsing. The Brazilian is reportedly not going to travel with the squad to Singapore with all parties committed to completing the deal.

Lavia could also be joined by another addition, with The Athletic's James Pearce reporting that the club are still interested in a number of midfielders, including Crystal Palace's Cheick Doucoure, Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips, Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch and Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat, with the club potentially bringing in another to replace the outgoing pair of Henderson and Fabinho.

Unai Emery gave a very awkward interview after seeing his Aston Villa side blow a two-goal lead over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Villa were 2-0 ahead at Old TraffordEnded up losing 3-2 to UnitedEmery focuses on Villa's league points in awkward interviewWHAT HAPPENED?

Villa squandered a 2-0 lead, allowing the Red Devils to stage a second-half comeback with goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening. John McGinn and Leander Dendoncker scored to set Villa up for the three points but a late collapse left Emery with his head in his hands. However, the manager refused to be drawn on the negative side of his team's display and instead focused on the 39 points his team have amassed at the mid-way point of the season.

AdvertisementWHAT EMERY SAID

When asked by the presenter of about what went wrong, Emery replied: "Thirty-nine points. It’s amazing."

The Villa boss added with a wry smile: "Now you’re asking me in another direction! Good, good, only analyse tonight. Sixty minutes, fantastic. Fantastic."

Getty THE BIGGER PICTURE

After an awkward start to the interview, Emery acknowledged the difficult challenge of facing a side like United away from home and stressed the need for his team to learn from the experience. "Manchester United, when they scored the first goal, the supporters here, they came back, the atmosphere, pushing them. And they have very good players," he said. "Of course, we had to be demanding but accepting as well. One team like Manchester United here can come back like they did. I want to analyse this match with the first 60 minutes we played, very good. Then of course we have to take experiences and we have to improve in the level we want to get, the level we want to achieve. Our players are now taking experiences. Manchester United, they have more experiences than us, more time being in the top level, the players and the club and the team. We move on. In the end, very disappointed, but accepting, and trying to understand all our first part of the season."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

DID YOU KNOW?

The loss at Old Trafford was just Villa's fourth league defeat this season and their first since November 5. The Lions are still sitting in third position, just three points behind leaders Liverpool and eight ahead of sixth-placed United.

Glenn Maxwell hit form with a half-century, but Victoria lost four wickets in the space of two overs as stumps neared on day two against South Australia in Melbourne

Daniel Brettig05-Nov-2017
Marcus Harris celebrates his century•Getty Images

Glenn Maxwell reminded the selection chairman Trevor Hohns of his desire to stay in the Australian Test team and Marcus Harris showed flashes of brilliance in a century that took Victoria into a first innings lead over South Australia, before the Redbacks fired back with the second new ball to leave the Sheffield Shield match tantalisingly poised after two days at the MCG.Playing with a considered, determined approach that mirrored his first Test century in Ranchi earlier this year, Maxwell made it as far as 60 before he was unfortunate to be dismissed when a Daniel Worrall short ball deflected from his body onto the stumps on the stroke of tea. The manner of the dismissal, in the face of a concerted short-pitched attack by Worrall, emphasised how Maxwell had been trying to occupy the crease rather than going for his many shots at every opportunity.In making his third Shield hundred for the Bushrangers, meanwhile, Harris showcased the talent that led to his selection by Western Australia as a teenager, now allied to greater consistency than he was able to demonstrate with the Warriors. He and Aaron Finch took a particular toll on the wrist spin of Adam Zampa, who claimed the opening wicket of the innings but was taken for more than six an over.Zampa had been unfortunate when he lured Harris out of his crease with the opener on 47. Alex Carey, considered a chance to take the wicketkeeper’s spot in the Australian Ashes XI, was unable to complete the chance, though he was later to claim a neat diving catch to dismiss Daniel Christian.As stumps neared, the Bushrangers seemed certain to build a major advantage, but the captain Peter Handscomb was freakishly caught and bowled by a diving Jake Lehmann, and after Worrall found some reverse swing to nab Sam Harper lbw a further four wickets went down in the space of two overs with the second new ball. Chadd Sayers claimed three of these in the final over of the day, the last two with consecutive balls to leave him on a hat-trick with one wicket of the Victorian innings available on day three.

Ben Stokes, the England allrounder who is currently under police investigation for his part in a late-night brawl in Bristol last month, has been dropped by his kit manufacturer, New Balance.The company issued a statement on Wednesday saying his behaviour “does not match our brand culture and values” and that his contract, worth an estimated £200,000 a year, had been terminated. The announcement came shortly after Stokes had tweeted an apology for a separate incident, in which he apparently mocked the disabled son of British celebrity Katie Price, and with his involvement in the Ashes increasingly uncertain.While the ECB has said Stokes will not travel to Australia until his legal issues are resolved – he was arrested but has not, at this stage, been charged – it remains unclear whether he will be part of the group gathering in Loughborough for a training camp from next Tuesday.The camp is likely it to involve some fielding practice – the potential loss of Stokes further weakens England’s close-catching – as well as discussion on what to expect in Australia and some bowling with the Kookaburra ball.New Balance provides Stokes with branded equipment, from bats to boots. In a statement, the company said: “New Balance does not condone behaviour by our global athletes that does not match our brand culture and values, and therefore we have ended our relationship with Ben Stokes, effective October 11, 2017. We will not provide further comment.”Shortly after the incident in September, which saw Stokes held overnight by Bristol police, a TV ad by brewer Greene King featuring the player drinking in a pub was pulled.Ben Stokes’ Twitter apology•Getty Images/Twitter

Stokes has also issued an apology after appearing to mock Harvey Price. A video of him impersonating Harvey, who suffers from autism, ADHD, Prader-Willi Syndrome and blindness, circulated shortly after Stokes’ arrest.He has now publically expressed his regret and, having admitted he should never have acted in such a way, accepted that he behaved “foolishly”. In a statement on Twitter, Stokes said he had contacted both Harvey and Katie Price personally and offered to get involved in their attempts to reduce online bullying.”Earlier this year I was a shown a clip of Harvey being asked on Loose Women how he responds to internet trolls,” Stokes wrote. “I loved Harvey’s directness with his responses – he said what most of us think but perhaps aren’t brave enough to say, let alone on live TV.”I foolishly attempted to copy the clip after I saw it a few times. I should never have done this and I am so sorry. It was absolutely not my intention to offend Harvey, Katie or anybody else.”I have written to both Harvey and Katie to say sorry and prior to this offered to meet in person at the end of last month with a view to also getting behind their petition about online bullying. I do hope I can put this right.”

Australia’s performance chief said the forthcoming Sheffield Shield rounds would be key to finding out which players had the mental wherewithal to fit into the No. 6 slot in Australia’s Test side

Daniel Brettig22-Oct-2017Team performance chief Pat Howard has put batsmen around Australia on notice that the No. 6 spot in the Ashes batting order will be decided by their performances in Sheffield Shield rounds over the next month.Howard drew parallels between the race to seal one of the few uncertain spots in Steven Smith’s Test XI and the selection flurry that followed last year’s innings hiding by South Africa in Hobart – a fifth Test loss in a row that led to the resignation of the selection chairman Rod Marsh. He said that a host of players now had the chance to do what Pete Handscomb and Matt Renshaw had done then, earning their way into the national team through timely run-making.The search for a more stable middle order is key to Australia’s chances this summer, after a debilitating build-up of collapses over the past two years that has placed undue pressure on Smith, David Warner and Usman Khawaja to make runs at every opportunity or risk the rest falling away. Howard said the Shield rounds would be key to finding out who had the mental wherewithal to take up that spot, whether it would be an allrounder like Marcus Stoinis or any number of batsmen currently on the fringes.”The No.6 one I’m really positive about. It’s a really open race, much like it was between Hobart and Adelaide [last year] and there’s pressure on the domestic competition to perform,” Howard said. “We want the players to know there is pressure and if you can turn up here at the start of the Sheffield Shield season there is an opportunity and [you can] put yourself in the frame. It’s a batting role first and your skills after that are more than welcome. Looking for that and then that multi-faceted ability obviously won’t hurt.”We’re doing work in that [mental] space and it doesn’t happen in six seconds. No correlation between this statement and anything in Tests, but in limited overs, Marcus Stoinis averaging 85 or 90 batting at six and he hasn’t played a game in Australia yet. There are players who are trying to put their hand up and step forward.”Often, what you see in domestic cricket is they’ll be batting up the order and then the opportunity to play in the Test match will be further down. All of them are very good players. We’ve all seen them and score runs, we know they’re capable so that mental conversation is absolutely right and that’s where we’re putting that focus.”Howard revealed he had spoken with Usman Khawaja following the batsman’s complaints about selection policy on the recent tours of India and Bangladesh, where he was omitted for all but one of six Tests after an outstanding home summer. “I’ve spoken to Uzzie this week, so absolutely understand and I think … one of the things, if you want to be a good player at Test level, you’re going to have to be good against spin,” he said.Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

“Five of the nine Test-playing nations are very spin-friendly, so if you want to be playing all the Tests all the time, obviously [spin has] got to be part of your mix. The Ashes is at home, it’s a place Uzzie has had an outstanding record and so have the others and as he said, it’s reasonably stable, the side we’ll be putting out there, and I agree with that, there are a couple of opportunities.”Looking further ahead, Howard conceded Australia had let slip a long standing as the world’s pre-eminent ODI country, two and a half years on from lifting the World Cup on home soil. “I really think that’s fair and we want to make sure we address that,” he said. “In the Test format I’m really positive whilst we’ve had some mixed results, I couldn’t be prouder of some of the growth and some of the players.”Nathan Lyon, his efforts in Bangladesh were absolutely outstanding and I think the selectors and Nathan in particular, should be really praised for his efforts there. But ODIs we have some gaps there at the moment we need to address and we’re aware of that. We’re very good at home, and that’s great and nice, but the next World Cup is not at home.”It’s on small grounds … so we’re actually happy to address that and deal with that and actually have to chase down big scores because we expect there will be big scores in the World Cup in 2019, thinking a couple of years ahead. We need to evolve. It’s not crisis time, but we have to make sure. We’ve won four out of five last World Cups, Australia have a huge legacy here and we have to make sure we’re very focused on making sure we turn up for these.”Howard had little to say about the recent pay dispute between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association, stating only that all organisations needed to review the way they conducted business at key times. The players were left out of contract for more than a month during the dispute, but Howard said he had been comfortable re-entering the Australian dressing room on recent tours following the signing of a fresh MoU.