Times Crossword 28,131 across down Yesterday’s solution 28,130
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access charge. SP: Spoke 0333 202 3390.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8910 1112 1314 15 16 171819 202122 23 24 2526 2728 29CARMEL I TE TRAWL
O O N N Y U V I
CUB I T SHELDRAKE
K E W T B O L D
CODE I NE ACREAGE
R N A L N R
OVERINDULGENCE
W P N D H S
DISGRUNTLEMENT
B C P E L A
OPULENT LOWDOWN
W R R I S E K H
WEEKN I GHT IMAGO
O A I H A S P P
WINCE TURNST I LE1 Loss of interest from years on a
course (6)
4 Spies what is said to be floury mix
for bread (8)
10 He has a hunch as if weird doom is
to follow (9)
11 Order for building one’s given to
men in Washington (5)
12 Nigerian visiting Bilbao on and off
(3)
13 Soul’s ending in torment, after life
of this? (11)
14 Turn on girl accompanying artist
and scold (6)
16 In retrospect, Cummings initially
should replace tungsten in pen, one
not working (7)
19 Waits to execute youngster (5,2)
20 Complete language, bar one noun
(6)
22 Note dinners thrown together for
one that can’t stay (3-8)
25 Right to avoid first medicinal herb
(3)
26 Some sea-green water coming
upriver (5)
27 Definition of baritone (sound) one
may check on phone? (9)
28 Opera fan starts to see assorted
Verdi offerings at the Garden (8)
29 It comes after health? It is said to
come first (6)1 In Paris, who may get into
performance free? (6)
2 A western alliance set up to pin
down Turk (9)
3 Loud bird-call audible in poem (5)
5 Admitted to exclusive club? Sorted!
(2,5,2,5)
6 Notice China supporting British in
court action (9)
7 Cake’s radius: where to bet about it
(5)
8 Statement worked out charges for
what solicitor did? (8)
9 Cook’s underwear viler after
fouling (4,4,6)
15 At sea, surely eat with great
self-discipline (9)
17 Wake up again to do some road
work? (9)
18 Popular line in board game is such
a wonder (8)
21 Eccentric retains key allegiance (6)
23 Green stuff eaten (not “ate”) up in
desert (5)
24 For Greek student, introduction to
Thucydides? (5)Newspapers
support recycling
The recycled paper content of
UK newspapers in 2020 was 67%Gary Jacob
Aston Villa are set to firm up an interest
in appointing Steven Gerrard as their
next head coach by making an official
approach to Rangers.
The Scottish club, whom Gerrard
guided to their first league title for
ten years last season, are braced for
contact and face a battle to retain the
services of the former Liverpool and
England captain.
Gerrard has emerged as the leading
candidate on Villa’s wanted list since
the sacking of Dean Smith on Sunday
in the aftermath of the Midlands club’s
fifth successive defeat of the Premier
League campaign.
The 41-year-old’s contract at Ibrox
runs until 2024, but compensation is
unlikely to be an issue for Villa’s owners
should Gerrard agree to continue his
managerial career south of the border.
Villa officials said yesterday that no
contact had yet been made with
Rangers, but the club want to install
Smith’s replacement by the start of next
week to allow him time to work with the
squad before the home game against
Brighton & Hove Albion on November- Villa are 16th in the table, only two
points above the relegation zone.
One of Gerrard’s assistants, Gary
McAllister, has already had a spell at
Villa Park under Gérard Houllier in
2010 and would be expected to make
the move if the deal goes ahead. The
highly rated Michael Beale, who previ-
ously worked at Liverpool, is also a key
member of Gerrard’s coaching staff.Gerrard guided
Rangers to their
first league title
in ten years2GM Wednesday November 10 2021 | the timesSp ort
Further tests for squad after
Marler’s positive for Covid
Page 63England must wait
ALEX DAVIDSON/GETTY IMAGESVilla to move for Gerrard Yorkshire have been left without their
two most senior coaches and their chief
executive is set to depart as the turmoil
from the Azeem Rafiq scandal threat-
ens to end up costing the crisis-hit club
£1 million in payoffs.
The county announced last night
that their coach, Andrew Gale, had
been suspended pending an investi-
gation into a past tweet that contained
antisemitic language, and the director
of cricket, Martyn Moxon, has been
signed off with a stress-related illness.
Mark Arthur, the chief executive, is set
to depart within the next 48 hours.
Rafiq, 30, has called for heads to roll
after Yorkshire’s failure to act on an
independent report, which upheld
seven allegations of racism and
discrimination against their former off
Continued on page 55
More heads roll
at Yorkshire
Roberto Martínez, the Belgium man-
ager, is an alternative name on Villa’s
shortlist of candidates and is thought to
be keen to speak with the club.
Kasper Hjulmand was another on
Villa’s list, but the Denmark head coach
has ruled himself out of the running.
Hjulmand, who is close to the Villa
sporting director, Johan Lange, did not
want to leave his job before the World
Cup in Qatar next year.
“I’m happy to be the Danish national
coach, and I’m not going anywhere
right now,” the 49-year-old said. “I love
the job. For me, it is a big challenge to
see how far we can go.”Elizabeth AmmonStand up and be counted
England’s Dawid Malan takes a break as his team prepare for today’s T20
World Cup semi-final, knowing victory over New Zealand would give them a
shot at claiming a unique World Cup double. Mike Atherton, pages 64-65Raducanu: I’m
not distracted
Stuart Fraser, John WesterbyEmma Raducanu has insisted that she
is “very zoned in” on her tennis after the
England rugby union head coach Eddie
Jones claimed that off-court distrac-
tions were behind the teenager’s recent
poor performances.
Jones caused a stir this week after
using the US Open champion’s strug-
gles since her triumph at Flushing
Meadows in September as a warning
for his fly half Marcus Smith. Michael
Yormark, the president of Maro Itoje’s
management company Roc Nation,
has said that the comments are “exactly
the reason why rugby needs to change”.
Raducanu’s season ended yesterday
with a second-round defeat at the Linz
Open by the world No 106 Wang Xinyu.
Given the chance to respond to Jones,
the 18-year-old initially said she did not
“really know what this is about” before
Continued on page 57Club want Rangers manager in place by next week
New manager’s unique training
methods can revive Newcastle
Pages 58-59Secrets of Howe’s success