Paul Hayward

2 weeks ago | independent.ie | Paul Hayward

Paul Hayward: Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis crosses the line because we know what we sawNottingham Forest's Taiwo Awoniyi (on the ground, left) and Leicester City's Facundo Buonanotte (on the ground, right) after colliding with the goal post. Awoniyi was later placed in an induced coma to aid his recovery from urgent abdominal surgery. Photo: PA WireIn sport as well as politics now the powerful feel emboldened to tell us that what we saw we didn’t really see.

2 weeks ago | observer.co.uk | Paul Hayward

A tale of two forwards: Eberechi Eze shines but Erling Haaland stays in the shadows on cup final day This FA Cup final lifted Eberechi Eze into the pantheon of Wembley goalscorers and taught Erling Haaland a lesson about not passing up opportunities. Crystal Palace’s Eze left the stadium as the man who ended his club’s near 120-year wait for a major trophy.

2 weeks ago | observer.co.uk | Paul Hayward

Forest’s response to the Evangelos Marinakis row orders us to ignore evidence of our own eyes In sport as well as politics now, the powerful feel emboldened to tell us that what we saw, we didn’t really see. The weaponisation of “fake news” is routine elsewhere, but not often attached to a footballer smashing into a goalpost. Or an owner marching on to a pitch to remonstrate with his manager. We saw both at Nottingham Forest and each passed the test of visual evidence.

3 weeks ago | independent.ie | Paul Hayward

Upstart who shocked the world needs to play on at 38 with legal bill looming for ‘Wagatha Christie’ libel battleAny approach from Wrexham to Jamie Vardy to help them reach the Premier League is highly unlikely to succeed. The two Hollywood big hitters who own Wrexham may see a synergy with Vardy’s filmic career — but the word is he still feels he has unfinished business at the top. Even at 38, Vardy is reluctant to vacate the big stage. But we do know he is vacating Leicester City.

3 weeks ago | observer.co.uk | Paul Hayward

It is easier to get the axe than to stop it being the defining moment of your life. Not everything in elite sport is hard to do. Getting sacked is easy, as the jockey Kieran Shoemark found in the 1 minute 37 seconds it took him not to win the 2,000 Guineas on the favourite Field Of Gold. Even at the top you can be fired for being too old, too slow, too outspoken, too unsuccessful or, in the old days, too drunk too often. Often it says more about the sacker than the sacked.