Peter Odemwingie's debut goal for West Brom on Saturday made him an instant hero at the Hawthorns - which is in stark contrast to how he is regarded at his former club, Lokomotiv Moscow. The striker, who has dual Russian and Nigerian nationality, was mocked by an overtly racist banner displayed by the supporters of his former employers during their 3-0 defeat to city rivals Dynamo at the weekend. Painted on the sign were a picture of a banana and the words: "Thanks West Brom". His goal gave The Baggies their first points of the season as they beat Sunderland 1-0, and they will look to build on that at Liverpool on Sunday.
The club's supporters will have been forgiven for getting a little over-excited this week when a headline on skysports.com read: "Hammers weigh up Gerrard bid". Seeing as their initial vow to keep hold of Scott Parker looks like it is becoming increasingly tenuous ahead of the closure of the transfer window, the West Ham owners owe their fans a sweetener. However, an audacious bid for Steven Gerrard, Liverpool's finest, is not about to happen. The Hammers have their sights set on the more modest talents of Anthony Gerrard, the Cardiff City centre-back, instead.
Roberto Martinez, the beleaguered Latics manager, has blamed the club's miserable start to the campaign on the "ridiculous" transfer window. Wigan have shipped 10 goals already, and are now faced with losing Charles N'Zogbia, one of their most potent attackers, with Birmingham City looking to sign the Frenchman. Martinez believes the transfer window should shut before the season starts, rather than three weeks into it. "At the moment we have a couple of players whose future is up the air," he said. "That is going to affect you but it is the nature of the game."
Michael Mancienne is back at Wolves and has admitted his thirst for first-team football persuaded him to rejoin the club for a third loan spell. The Chelsea utility player has linked up with Wolves until the end of the current campaign. Mancienne previously had spells at Molineux in the Championship during 2008/09 and then last season on their return to the Premier League. The 22-year-old was also linked with a move to West Ham and Newcastle before committing himself to Wolves.
* Compiled by Gary Meenaghan and Paul Radley
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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Read more from Aya Iskandarani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Autumn international scores
Saturday, November 24
Italy 3-66 New Zealand
Scotland 14-9 Argentina
England 37-18 Australia