Roberto Di Matteo is thought to be among the top candidates to replace Steve Clarke as the coach at West Bromwich Albion, who fired Steve Clarke late Saturday after a run of four consecutive defeats.
Di Matteo was West Brom’s coach from 2009 to 2011, led the club’s promotion to the Premier League and led them for more than a season in the top flight before being dismissed. He moved to Chelsea and took over the London club after Andre Villas-Boas was dismissed, then led them to victory in the Uefa Champions League.
Others linked with the West Brom position include Martin Jol, the former Fulham coach, and Paul Clement, an assistant to Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid.
Steven Reid, the West Brom full-back, said on Sunday that the club’s players had been left in “complete shock” by the abrupt dismissal of Clarke.
Clarke, 50, led West Brom to an eighth-place finish last season, their highest in the Premier League era, and Reid said players had no inkling that he was about to be shown the door, even as they drifted toward the drop zone.
“There is a shock. Sometimes in a dressing room you get a sense a change is coming, but this has come as a complete shock,” he told the BBC. “In recent weeks we can only put the results down to a drop in confidence. In the Premier League, when you go on a run of three or four games without a victory it can affect the confidence of the lads and then you are looking at ways you can get back on track.”
Keith Downing, Clarke’s assistant, will run the Midlands club on an interim basis. Reid backed West Brom officials to pick the right man.
“The last three appointments have gone really well,” he said. “Roberto Di Matteo got us promotion, Roy Hodgson got us mid-table security and Steve Clarke took us to our highest Premier League position last season.”
sports@thenational.ae
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
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England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.