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Martin sacked after Tottenham thrash sorry Saints

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A dazzling display from Spurs in the first half leaves Southampton rooted to the bottom of the table in what came to be Russell Martin’s last game in charge of the Saints. 

It only took 40 seconds for Spurs to kill the hopes of the Southampton faithful, as James Maddison calmly slotted home after a stellar run from Djed Spence, claiming an early assist on his first ever Premier League start. 

The quick-fire start continued for Tottenham, as Son Heung-Min and Dejan Kulusevski both converted past Alex McCarthy to put the woeful Saints side 3-0 down within 15 minutes. 

Russell Martin opted to switch to a back three after this early dismal display, sacrificing the out of favour Kamaldeen Sulemana for Nathan Wood. 

However, this switch did not stop Tottenham’s rampant performance, as Pape Sarr danced through challenges in the box to grab yet another for Spurs. 

And on the brink of half time, after Martin had already headed down the tunnel, Maddison secured his second of the evening, finishing from the tightest of angles, which was met to a chorus of boos from Saints fans, and calls for Martin to be sacked. 

The second half was much less action-packed, as Spurs took off captain Son and took their foot off the gas, while the Saints continued to play from the back, but to no avail. 

As the final whistle blew, more boos rung around St Mary’s, shortly followed by chants of “We want Martin out!” from the Southampton faithful – and these wishes were met by the board, as Martin was dismissed later in the evening. 

The result leaves Southampton on five points, guaranteeing them to be bottom at Christmas.

Meanwhile, Spurs jumped up to 10th place, five points off the top four and with a significantly higher goal difference of +17. 

End of the road for Martin 

Russell Martin’s 18-month tenure as Southampton manager came to an end, as he was sacked late Sunday evening after a poor performance against Spurs. 

Martin took over in June 2023 after Saints’ relegation to the Championship. 

Despite a difficult start to their 2nd tier campaign, Martin reignited belief and spirit into the Southampton fans and players, leading the team to a 25-game unbeaten run and a playoff final victory against Leeds in the summer. 

However, since their promotion to the top flight, Southampton have looked like a shell of their former selves. 

Martin’s free flowing and comfortable performances in the Championship were unable to be translated into the Premier League. 

Their Man City-esque style of football of playing out from the back led to them conceding 10 times from their own errors, more than any other team has suffered. 

With Martin’s stubbornness and no sign of the situation improving, fans quickly turned on the Scotsman in search of change, either of style or personnel. 

Things really came to a head in the Spurs clash, as banners were present in the crowd reading ‘R.M. GET OUT OF OUR CLUB’ and plenty of chants were directed towards the Saints technical area. 

As Southampton search for a new manager, U21 coach Simon Rusk will take over as interim manager during the busy festive period, as they face Liverpool at home again in the EFL Cup on Wednesday. 

Strong Spurs Showing 

Following a difficult set of results in previous weeks, Spurs got back to winning ways with this thumping of Southampton. 

Ange Postecoglu had been under pressure due to these unsatisfactory results, but this ruthless rout of the Saints would have been a great watch for both himself and the travelling fans. 

In midweek, the Spurs boss had heavily criticized his players for their lackluster displays, most notably Timo Werner who has continually struggled in a Tottenham shirt since his arrival. 

And this evening fixture posed the perfect opportunity for the Lilywhites to get back into form. 

And they did exactly that, with their fiery start and persistence to create chances throughout the first half, securing all three points before the second half even started. 

As they eased their pressure in the second half, Spurs still looked solid, creating a few decent chances, and even had the chance to bring on youngsters Alfie Dorrington and Will Lankshear. 

Despite sitting mid table at the minute, they are only five points off the top four with an enormous goal difference compared to the clubs around them, so only a few more positive results like this would put them well back in the race for those coveted Champions League spots 

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Football

Meira Ashby seals dramatic comeback for Wycombe Wanderers

Rebecca Perez Taylor

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Wycombe Wanderers made a dramatic comeback with two goals from Meira Ashby, the second of which put her side ahead in the 63rd minute.

Winchester’s Chelsie Hay opened the scoring in the 16th minute and doubled the lead shortly after, giving the flayers a comfortable 2-0 lead and the hope of being able to equal in points with the opponents in the league table. 

HT: Winchester City Flyers 2 – 0 Wycombe Wanderers 

A first goal for the visiting team came in the 57th minute through Kayla Potter, giving the Wanderers a renewed belief in being able to win the game. Just minutes later, Meira Ashby struck twice, in the 61st and 63rd minutes, completing the turnaround and securing the comebackthat keeps the Wanderers comfortably at the top of the table. 

FT: Winchester City Flyers 2 – 3 Wycombe Wanderers 

The Winchester Flyers take the loss and remain behind Wycombe Wanderers in the league standings, meanwhilethe wanderers stay in first place for yet another week. The result adds pressure on Winchester to keep pace, while it further strengthens Wycombe’s position as title contenders.

Next up for Winchester is another home fixture, this time against Southampton Women’s FC 

Waycombe Wanderers will face Abingdon United FC in their next match.

Both teams head into their upcoming fixtures with very different momentum.  Winchester will be looking to regroup and be able to keep their first-half performance into the full 90 minutes, while Wycombe will aim to keep building on what they have been doing and maintain their place at the top of the table

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Sport

Beyond the punches: The real basics of boxing for beginners

Rebecca Perez Taylor

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Boxing might look aggressive from the outside, making it easy to overlook the discipline, technique, and community that actually define the sport. 

Walking into a boxing gym for the first time can feel intimidating, but most beginners are surprised by how structured and supportive the environment is.

At Winchester Boxing Club, head coach Filip Duda says the fundamental key of boxing for beginners is footwork, “get that right”, he explains, “then everything else comes quite naturally”. This is a reminder that the sport isn’t just about throwing punches, but about learning how to move, balance and stay in control.

For beginners, that means starting with the basics: understanding your stance, keeping your guard up, and building confidence through repetition. 

Another coach at the club emphasised the importance of mastering the fundamentals not only physically but also mentally. “Understanding that you are not always going to win and that you most likely will lose your first fight”, she says, is just as important as the physical part of the sport. 

Boxing is also often viewed as a male-dominated sport. Some of the women training in Winchester admitted that it is challenging at times to be in such a male-dominated sport; however, she said it has been amazing and empowering to join this sport.

While every boxer’s journey starts differently, the message across the club is the same: anyone is welcome to give the sport a try. 

From building fitness to gaining confidence, boxing offers something valuable to everyone who walks through the door. 

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Sport

Squash finally secures its Olympic debut at LA 2028

Rebecca Perez Taylor

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The Olympics are the biggest sporting stage in the world, the place every athlete dreams of reaching one day.

For squash players, however, that dream has been out of reach.

That will finally change at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, where Squash is set to make its long awaited Olympic debut as one of five sports added to this edition of the Games.

Squash was invented in England during the 19th century, and since then it has grown into a global sport, played in more than 180 countries. 

Squash is a fast-paced racket sport played indoors in a four-walled court. Players rally a small rubber ball against the walls, using speed, precision and placement to make it as difficult as possible for their opponent to return the shot.

Despite its worldwide reach and its presence in other major multi-sport events such as the  Commonwealth Games, the Pan American Games and the World Games, squash has never been part of the Olympic Games program. The closest it has been to appearing in the games before was at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, where it appeared as a demonstration sport.

Over the years, the sport has made several bids for inclusion; London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, but each attempt was unsuccessful. After decades of campaigning, the sport has finally earned a spot in the competition.

A key factor in squash’s inclusion can be attributed to the evolution of its facilities. The modern glass courts allow spectators to see the action of the game from every angle, making the sport more accessible for fans and broadcasters. These innovations have made squash a more television-friendly event, and this is one of the factors that helped it secure its spot on the world’s biggest sporting stage.

This Olympic recognition is expected to boost the popularity of the sport worldwide, increasing participation, investment in the sport and visibility, helping squash grow and establish itself as a major sport.  

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