I travelled with Roy Hodgson to Turkmenistan and spent three days with him and the UAE team in Asgabat for an Asian Cup qualifier they lost 1-0 in 2003.
We would sit in the hotel lobby for a chat over a cup of tea. He struck me as very smart, articulate and keen to keep our conversation away from football and politics.
He is an amiable man and it was easy to get along with someone who knew the protocol for the press and was so knowledgeable about the game. Hodgson was easy to approach and he was one of the few UAE coaches who was available by telephone.
Hodgson is fluent in several languages but not Arabic so the English-speaking reporters had the upper hand over our Arab colleagues when Hodgson was in charge of the UAE for 21 months.
I can remember the Dubai television anchor asking him if he would step down after a draw against Turkmenistan in the home game.
"You have asked me a hostile question but I will give you a polite answer," Hodgson said.
Not all the UAE writers were hostile. One writer from the Arabic press said to Hodgson he expected him to follow in the footsteps of Carlos Queiroz, the former coach of the UAE team who went on to be No 2 at Manchester United and coach Real Madrid. He has reached the top eventually.
I attended a few of Hodgson's UAE training sessions and was impressed by his attention to detail and enthusiasm. The England players can certainly expect their new manager to be hands-on.
apassela@thenational.ae
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ICC T20 Team of 2021
Jos Buttler, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Afridi
LOS ANGELES GALAXY 2 MANCHESTER UNITED 5
Galaxy: Dos Santos (79', 88')
United: Rashford (2', 20'), Fellaini (26'), Mkhitaryan (67'), Martial (72')
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
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Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
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- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
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Result
Tottenhan Hotspur 2 Roma 3
Tottenham: Winks 87', Janssen 90 1'
Roma 3
D Perotti 13' (pen), C Under 70', M Tumminello 90 2"
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
