Michael

Premier League Darts is played across 16 initial weeks in the league stage with quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final each night.

Each of the eight players is guaranteed to face the other seven in the quarter-finals in weeks one to seven and 9-15, with week eight and week 16 fixtures done off the table. It means we will get fourth v fifth in Sheffield on the final league-stage night, with the play-off spots potentially on the line.

Players earn two points per quarter-final win, an additional point if they win their semi-final and five for winning the night.

The top four players after the group stage progress to the play-off night at London’s O2 Arena on 23 May, with first facing fourth and second against third in a best-of-19-leg match. The final, which is the best of 21 legs, follows.

If players are level on points after the 16 weeks then places are decided by nights won and then matches won.

BOMBSHELL unheard audio of Michael Jackson sharing his deepest “intimate” thoughts on children will be revealed in a new documentary.

In the chilling voice recordings, the music legend can be heard discussing his deep-seated feelings on his infatuation with kids.

During one alarming moment Jackson even admitted that if he could not be close to children he would take his own life, according to the New York Post.

“If you told me right now . . . Michael, you could never see another child…I would kill myself,” he reportedly said.

“Children want to just touch me and hug me.

“Kids end up falling in love with my personality. Sometimes it gets me into trouble.”

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The unsettling recordings alongside a number of never-before-seen tapes have been secured for a four-part Channel 4 series called The Trial.

Set to premiere on February 4, the docuseries details new revelations from the pop icon’s 2005 child molestation trial.

Shedding new light on Jackson’s relationship with child cancer survivor Gavin Arvizo, who later accused him of sexual abuse, unseen footage shows their pair going on picnics alone together.

Gavin accused him of sexual molestation in 2005, saying Jackson showed him pornography and gave him alcohol.

The star – who admitted to sharing his bed with kids – was cleared of all 14 charges, including four counts of molesting a child, four counts of getting a child drunk so that he could molest him, and of secretly conspiring to hold the boy and his family captive at his California ranch, Neverland.

He was also charged with supplying alcohol to the boy, now 15.

The New York Post spoke to an insider who had heard the recordings.

“There is something extremely unusual and eerie about Michael Jackson’s infatuation with children – especially those who are not his own,” they said.

“To hear his voice discuss children in this manner, given he had been accused on molestation, raises many questions about his mental health, mindset and sadly, intentions.

“This is Michael at his most open giving us an insight into how he was in love with children . . . infatuated with wanting to be around them,” they added.

Continuing on, the insider said Jackson saw “nothing wrong with bringing kids to his home and his bed without parental supervision”.

“[He justified] those actions by saying he is a just a friend looking to help,” they said.

“He even went further — expressing how most of the spoiled children fell in love with him.

“These are very uneasy phrases and language to hear from a single man in his 40s.”

The insider said the footage also showed how Jackson cared for Gavin throughout his cancer battle.

“Many doctors felt that his diagnosis was terminal, but Michael never gave up hope,” they said.

“Michael described how he told Gavin he looked like an angel to him. The way that these could have been interpreted are fascinating.”

Executive producer Tom Anstiss said: “The unheard audio tapes of Michael Jackson offer a rare and privileged window into Michael’s psyche and his soul”.

He said The Trial would “deliver a new understanding of who Michael Jackson really was, what he thought and the seismic moments that shaped his life”.

“The tapes are emotionally raw and very real,” he said.

“At points, you can hear Michael is close to tears.”

Jackson’s former public relations advisor appears in the show, revealing that he “absolutely” believed the allegations against the popstar, according to the Telegraph.

“I believe there was a cover-up for so many years,” he said. 

Jackson’s estate still vehemently denies all child molestation accusations against him.

He had three children of his own, Prince, Bigi (formerly Blanket) and Paris.

The trio have described him as “the best father you could ever imagine”, according to People.

Jackson died of an overdose on a prescription anaesthetic four years after the trial concluded.

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has praised the backing he has received from the club’s fans and says he is “not offended” by the protest planned before Sunday’s Premier League encounter with Fulham.

Carrick has a 100% record in his second spell in charge following unexpected wins against Manchester City and Arsenal.

Despite the improvement following Ruben Amorim’s dismissal and the fact United moved into the Premier League top four for the first time this season following the Arsenal success, the 1958 fans’ group is pushing ahead with its protest.

The group claims it expects between 5,000 and 6,000 fans to attend the protest march, although given it will start an hour before kick-off from either side of the stadium and meet in the middle by the ‘Law, Best, Charlton’ statue outside Old Trafford, exact numbers will be difficult to quantify.

Organisers say they have “a few surprises in store”.

“Our protest has never been about performances on the pitch, not now, and not once in the last 21 years,” they argue.

“We are judging a dysfunctional ownership model that has repeatedly failed.”

In his autobiography, Carrick said the Glazer family were “great owners”.

Few fans agree with those sentiments, regardless of whether they intend to join the protest or not.

Anti-Glazer songs are a feature of every game United play, while recently minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been the focus of negative supporter sentiment.

Asked for his thoughts on the issue, Carrick preferred to focus on the support both he and his team have received rather than address the wider issue.

“I don’t think it [the protest] connects with the two wins, to be honest,” he said.

“I fully respect the supporters. I’m not offended by it or anything, and the players certainly aren’t.

“Within the stadium, the support we’ve felt, and that’s been there for all the games that I’ve watched for quite some time, has been of the highest level and I’m sure it will continue to be like that.

“The connection we’ve had over the last couple of weeks has been pretty special and we’ve both fed off that. That’s exactly how we wanted it to be and is something we need to keep building on moving forward.”

Three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen was knocked out by Damon Heta on the opening night of the World Masters in Milton Keynes.

The 36-year-old Dutchman – who won the Masters five times in a row between 2015 and 2019 – lost 3-1 to Australian number one Heta, who checked out 101 to seal his victory.

World Championship runner-up Gian van Veen was solid on his Masters debut, progressing 3-1 past Ryan Joyce despite losing the first set, while former world champion Gerwyn Price racked up a three-dart average of 108.51 to defeat in-form James Hurrell.

Jonny Clayton – last year’s beaten Masters finalist – saw off Wessel Nijman 3-1, with Nathan Aspinall defeating Shane McGuirk by the same scoreline.

Defending Masters champion Luke Humphries and world champion Luke Littler – the world number one – both enter the tournament on Friday.

“Football obsessive.”

Ask people who know Steve Holland well how they would describe the former Chelsea and England coach and the same phrase is repeated.

“Football is his life,” a source told BBC Sport.

“Whether it’s Champions League, thoughts on players or something else, he has a hell of a brain when it comes to football detail.”

It explains why, instead of sitting back and reflecting on the success of Manchester United’s 3-2 win at Arsenal, Holland spent the return journey to North West England going through footage of the victory with head coach Michael Carrick and the rest of his backroom team to come up with a plan for Sunday’s home game against Fulham.

On Monday, while the players were given a day off, Holland and company were at United’s Carrington training ground, honing the sessions they hope will lead to a third straight Premier League win.

Attention to detail is a Holland character trait, something he has relied on since joining Crewe in 1992, after concluding he would advance further as a coach than he did as a player if he dedicated himself to the profession at a young age.

Holland, 55, believes only former England boss Graham Taylor was younger than him when he gained what is now known as the Uefa A Licence coaching badge, when he was 21.

Of the rest of United’s new coaching set-up, boss Carrick had not even started secondary school when Holland began his coaching journey. Jonathan Woodgate is slightly older than Carrick. Jonny Evans and Travis Binnion are younger.

It is why Holland’s presence – and, through his England experience, ability to deal with intense pressure – is so vital to Carrick and his coaching team and why he is getting so much credit for the positive start to a tenure that has already delivered victories against Manchester City and Arsenal and taken United up to fourth in the Premier League.

“He won’t be bothered about the scrutiny and pressure at Manchester United,” says former Radio Stoke editor Graham McGarry, who got to know Holland well during his 16-year stint with Crewe.

“He will take it all in his stride and just do his job.

“His training sessions are fantastic. You can already see the Manchester United players are responding to them.”

Not that Holland is likely to be talking about it in public.

A second trait that keeps being noted is that he is a man of few words, someone who is difficult to read. “You never knew whether he was quietly content or silently raging,” said a source who has worked with him.

But that mask can help when it comes to delivering messaging. The less someone speaks, the argument goes, the more likely their audience is to listen when something is being said.

It is far too early to assess Holland’s work. It is just over two weeks since the coaching team were introduced to United’s players as a group for the first time, but several well-placed sources stress the coaching team work as a collective.

It should not be dismissed either that while Darren Fletcher didn’t win his two games in interim charge, he reset the formation following Ruben Amorim’s dismissal on 5 January. The Scot began to lift the mood. He also recalled Kobbie Mainoo. It meant key players Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo returned from the Africa Cup of Nations to a stable environment, which gave Carrick the best chance of success.

Changes to the training programme have been made, according to sources. The days are now shorter, but more intense. There is a different energy about sessions and more focus on individual work with specific players. The matchday routine for home games has been tweaked so players now arrive at Old Trafford slightly closer to kick-off.

Carrick was given the job ahead of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, in part, because of the work he does ‘on the grass’. But Holland ran the sessions with England, allowing Gareth Southgate to take an overview.

In consultation with Southgate, Holland concluded England’s formation had been ‘too stodgy’ in qualification for the 2018 World Cup, triggering the switch to a back three. “Harry Maguire’s ability on the was ball fundamental,” explained Holland in a half-hour dissection of his work for the Coaches Voice podcast in 2021.

Speaking to Sky Sports before the Manchester City game, Maguire recalled his own dealings with Holland.

“He was magnificent for England,” he said. “We all knew what we were doing.

“I can remember a lot of time working with Steve and he really does drill in tactically how to defend and how to keep the ball out of the back of the net.

“It’s basics but really disciplined basics. I feel he will have a big part to play in making our defensive record a lot better.”

Since leaving his role with England following Euro 2022, Holland has had a short, unsuccessful spell in Japan and undertook some work for the League Managers’ Association.

What he has not done is court media attention.

The Coaches Voice chats and others with the Football Association are rare examples of Holland being interviewed.

“The perfect number two,” as he has been described.

The insight that does exist is revealing.

“With any session the more the players are enjoying their work the more you will get out of them,” he explained in an interview published by the FA.

“It is important to try to find creative ways of delivering repetitive practice to stimulate the players’ interest.

“The key always with practice is the transfer into the game. It is important to try and maximise the possibility of a transfer by not steering too far from the reality of the game.”

He may be new to Manchester United but navigating the fall-out from a departing boss is something Holland has plenty of experience of.

It was then Blues manager Andre Villas-Boas who elevated him from the youth ranks to the senior team at Chelsea. “I was on holiday in Spain,” recalled Holland. “I took the call on day two and returned home on day three. My wife still reminds me of that regularly.”

Villas-Boas was sacked after nine months back in 2012. His successor, Roberto di Matteo, won the Champions League but was dumped after eight.

Behind the scenes, Holland was impressing. He survived the tenures of Rafael Benitez, Jose Mourinho and Guus Hiddink before quitting to concentrate solely on England after Chelsea won the Premier League in Antonio Conte’s first season in charge.

“At a big club, every day is a drama,” Holland told the Coaches Voice. “It is never quite as bad as it is made out to be but your ability to handle these moments are decisive.

“My experience of life at Chelsea has taught me it is about winning. That winning mentality doesn’t include feeling sorry for yourself or making excuses. It means you analyse and push to do better next time.”

They seem like wise words given the intensity of the noise that surrounds Manchester United, who will look to add more weight to claims their revival under Carrick and co is more than a flash in the pan when they host Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday.

From the outside looking in, it seems Holland is already having a significant positive impact at English football’s fallen giants.

The job might be tough, and the demands might be high, but it is fair to assume the Stockport-born ‘football obsessive’ is in his element.

Davina McCall married her long-term partner during an ‘absolutely beautiful’ ceremony recently, just months after the couple announced their engagement following a trip to Ibiza

Davina McCall broke down in tears during an emotional discussion with husband Michael Douglas. Davina and Michael tied the knot recently in an “absolutely beautiful” ceremony in front of their friends and family.

It came just three months after Davina, 58, announced that she and celebrity hairstylist Michael got engaged during a trip to Ibiza. The couple first started dating in 2018, having met originally on the set of Big Brother in 2000.

Their marriage came after a difficult year for Davina, who underwent surgery in November 2024 after medics discovered a colloid cyst on her brain. Just over a year later she revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a small lump.

Now on the Making the Cut podcast, Davina’s husband Michael praised the television presenter for using her fame to speak candidly about her health battles and “help a lot of people”.

It came after Michael recently read Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography. In the book, the Boss spoke candidly about his music and his life, something Michael said he found to be a “therapeutic experience”.

Michael said: “I realised the important role that famous people can have in regular people’s lives. Bruce putting his life in the paper or out there has helped me.

“I realised what it means to be married to someone like you who also does that and what it’s like to be around someone who puts themselves out in a way that is to benefit and help other people and I want to say, well done you.

“I realise what you stand for for a lot of people and I see them stop you in the street and say how grateful they are for what you decided to do with your fame and your time. In a way that Springsteen helped me, I realised you helped a lot of people.”

The touching words from her husband made The Masked Singer panellist Davina audibly tear up. Davina will return to screens with Long Lost Families tonight (January 29) from 9pm on ITV One.

The series sees Davina and co-host Nicky Campbell reuniting people with their loved ones. Tonight the series will visit Mandy whose parents had a baby girl they placed for adoption, she is now attempting to find her long-lost big sister.

Elsewhere Jane thought she was an only child until her mother revealed she had a baby boy 11 months before her. Jane now wants help finding her long lost brother who was put up for adoption.

Davina has previously spoken about the emotions she feels when reunited siblings, especially because she lost her sister to cancer in 2012. Caroline, 50, was diagnosed with lung cancer after being rushed to hospital after suffering a suspected stroke.

Speaking to Love TV, she said: “Sometimes with siblings, it’s quite hard and painful, because one sibling might have grown up with their birth family, while the other was placed for adoption. There’s a lot to unpack there, you know?”

Davina says the show’s genealogists occasionally track people down who weren’t even aware they had a sibling. “Imagine being gifted a sibling out of the blue, it would be absolutely mad,” she added.