Liverpool and Everton were denied in a cheeky attempt to bring the Merseyside derby forward by 24 hours.
Inside Sport understands that both clubs saw positives in switching the televised Anfield clash from Wednesday April 2 to Tuesday April 1 thanks in no small part to Arsenal‘s calendar.
The Gunners, faltering remaining challengers to Arne Slot‘s Premier League title charge, play on the Tuesday night against Fulham. They then face none other than Everton at Goodison Park in a 12.30pm kick-off on the following Saturday.
Bringing the derby forward would have given Everton more time to prepare for their London visitors, with the rare prospect of a Toffees’ victory being welcomed on both sides of the Merseyside divide.
The Premier League rejected the request, which is unlikely to go down well on the Gwladys Street. It is thought Premier League bosses were unmoved, given the original date did not cause either club to play another match within 60 hours, which is the minimum period permissible.
Indeed, boos for the competition’s anthem – commonplace since they deducted points from Everton for financial breaches – may ring out louder than normal when Mikel Arteta‘s side come to town.
Liverpool and Everton were denied a request to bring the Merseyside derby forward
Moving the fixture would have given the Toffees more prep time ahead of the visit of Arsenal
Recruitment gurus find market gap
Former Norwich City sporting director Stuart Webber and ex-Huddersfield Town head of football operations Leigh Bromby have set up a consultancy group to help clubs in the recruitment of directors of football, heads of recruitment, data analytics, physios and even chefs.
The pair have already worked on one headline-grabbing deal, overseeing John Eustace’s managerial move from Blackburn Rovers to Derby County but believe they have identified a gap in the market, with most recruitment focus mainly on players and managers.
Former Norwich sporting director Stuart Webber has launched a consultancy group
Bournemouth’s facility boost
Things are looking up off the pitch as well as on it for overperforming Bournemouth.
The Cherries, five points off fourth place, will this week move to a new training ground which they are hoping will help them to continue to attract and develop young talent from around the world, giving them Premier League opportunities they may struggle to find elsewhere.
The carbon-friendly facility features no fewer than 600 solar panels.
Bournemouth are set to move into their state-of-the-art training ground this week
Coventry’s Olympics odyssey
The five-star Westin Resort, where Kirsty Coventry was controversially elected new Olympics boss last week, is being used by those filming Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, a film based on Homer’s epic poem.
However, insiders joked that its swanky Dunes clubhouse was more like the setting for an episode of The Apprentice on the evening following the Zimbabwean’s victory.
In the exclusive members section, the 41-year-old winner celebrated with IOC members and staff while losers including Lord Coe and Johan Eliasch were left to lick their wounds in the more accessible public area, which at least was an upgrade on the greasy spoon frequented by losers in the BBC show.
Meanwhile, the election was good news for helicopter pilots working on the set of The Odyssey, which will star Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway, who were given around a week off with flights downed for security reasons.
New IOC president Kirsty Coventry celebrated her success in an exclusive members area
IOC armband backlash
Members of the media at Costa Navarino were taken aback when they were presented by IOC officials with red, black and white armbands to be worn as accreditation.
The passes immediately drew uncomfortable comparisons with those worn by members of the Nazi party. Indeed, some members of the German press subsequently refused to wear them.
One staffer told Inside Sport that yellow ones had been intended for later days but ‘could not be found’.
Members of the media were taken aback by these red, black and white IOC armbands
National League’s promotion push
The National League stepped up its campaign for the EFL to provide three promotion slots rather than the existing two on Non-League Day this weekend.
Players from both sides at all 36 fixtures posed in front of banners calling for three up, while billboards pushed the campaign at each ground – with the focus on forcing a vote to end a ludicrous situation at June’s EFL AGM.
To underline the nonsense, sixth-tier Scunthorpe United attracted 8,274 to their clash with Chester, while 7,256 saw Oldham Athletic defeat Halifax Town.
The National League stepped up its campaign for the EFL to provide three promotion slots
Dyche glow-up
Sean Dyche has put his time outside the game to good use – by getting his teeth done. The former Burnley boss, sacked by Everton in January, is also planning to have work carried out on his nose.
However, Dyche told talkSPORT’S Jonny Owen that the planned nasal procedure was for physical, rather than cosmetic reasons, given he has not been able to breathe properly since an incident from his playing days back in 2001.
