problem

Until a couple of seasons ago, it was usually an outfield player who would go to ground to stop play.

It was being used for two distinct reasons.

Either to break up the momentum of the opposition by causing a stoppage in play, or for the coach to give instructions to his players. Sometimes it has been both.

English football attempted to combat this by insisting that any player who receives treatment must leave the field for 30 seconds.

It had some positive results, but managers just switched focus and told the goalkeeper to ask for treatment.

A team cannot play without a goalkeeper, so it became a risk-free method of impacting the opposition, or getting the opportunity to talk to your team.

There is nothing a referee can do about it, as they cannot accuse a player of faking an injury. If it turned out the player was genuinely injured there could be serious repercussions.

So the game has been stuck in a doom loop.

Goalkeepers go down, the other 10 players rush to the technical area for a team talk.

As soon as the coach has delivered his message, the keeper miraculously gets to his feet.

It has been a theme during Leeds‘ season, starting in November when Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma went down as the West Yorkshire club were in the ascendancy at Etihad Stadium.

Manager Daniel Farke accused Donnarumma of feigning injury to “bend the rules” and break up play.

But this is not a Leeds issue, it is a football issue. It is happening at all levels of the game and is particularly prevalent in the women’s game.

Sir David Jason has opened up on the prospect of an Only Fools and Horses revival, saying ‘let’s go for it’

Television icon Sir David Jason has spoken candidly about a potential revival of Only Fools and Horses – but acknowledges there’s one significant obstacle to resurrecting the beloved sitcom.

The BBC programme ran for seven series and 16 Christmas specials between 1981 and 2003 and is frequently voted the UK’s greatest ever sitcom. Only Fools transformed Sir David and co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst, who portrayed wheeler dealer brothers Derek and Rodney Trotter, into household names.

However, while there have been spin-offs in the subsequent 23 years, alongside a successful stage production, there hasn’t been a return to fresh TV episodes.

Sir David, 86, declared “let’s go for it” – but only if they “get a good script”. The actor believes this might prove somewhat problematic as the programme’s creator, John Sullivan, passed away in 2011. The Only Fools star described the scriptwriter as “a genius”.

He told the Daily Telegraph: “But the problem (with a TV revival) is that the man who created it is no longer with us. He wrote every episode and just happened to be a genius.

“I’m not so sure that we have a writer clever enough to take on his mantle. No one could write characters like he could. Providing we have a good script, let’s go for it!” reports the Express.

The Only Fools creator died in April 2011, six weeks after contracting viral pneumonia. Only Fools and Horses The Musical, penned by Paul Whitehouse and John Sullivan’s son Jim Sullivan, enjoyed a West End run spanning more than four years before concluding in April 2023. The programme centred on the Trotter brothers, market traders from working-class Peckham in south-east London, chronicling their schemes to strike it rich fast.

Sir David also shared his thoughts on cancel culture, as Only Fools and Horses repeats now feature trigger warnings. He revealed no one has criticised the programme to him directly.

The actor continued: “Not one person has ever complained about any show that I have done. No one has said they didn’t believe in it or didn’t enjoy it.”

Meanwhile, Sir David delivered a heartbreaking eight-word response after viewing a lost Only Fools scene.

The actor reunited with Tessa Peake-Jones, who portrayed his on-screen partner Raquel Turner. The duo filmed a new docuseries, Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive. The two-part programme featured the show’s stars watching previously unseen material from more than 10 classic episodes.

Grantchester actress Tessa has revealed that David made an emotional remark about the cast being “so young and so successful” while revisiting footage of himself and his co-stars.

Speaking on Lorraine, she shared: “David Jason was very, very poignant about it. There was one bit where he was like, ‘We were so young and so successful then.’ It’s quite depressing.”

James McClean admits his career is in jeopardy due to a long-standing hip injury and will explore the possibility of surgery to fix the problem.

The 37-year-old returned to Derry City this season, but says the Brandywell’s astroturf surface has acerbated the issue and received medical advice that he “has no business being on a football pitch”.

The Candystripes’ surface is in the process of being replaced with the grass surface at Derry GAA’s Celtic Park set to host at least five games until it is ready, beginning with Friday’s Premier Division clash against Shamrock Rovers [20:00 BST].

McClean, who was sent off for two yellows in the 2-2 draw against Dundalk on 10 April, is theoretically free to play, but is focused on what could be a “last chance for me to hopefully get a surgery”.

“I was told by a specialist 10 days ago that my body currently ‘has no business being on a football pitch’ due to the severity of the damage to my hip,” he posted on social media.

“I respect his honesty and his expert opinion, but I have never been one to lay down without a fight.

“Tomorrow’s appointment is a last chance for me to hopefully get a surgery – if it’s even a possibility – one which will allow me to do what I have dreamt of doing, and that’s being able to contribute while in an acceptable physical state to do so. That is playing for a club I love in Derry City.”

The former Republic of Ireland international, who spent 15 years at English and Welsh clubs after first leaving the Brandywell in 2011, said he wanted to set the record straight about the “hell” he has gone through due the hip problem.

“For the past few years, I have been playing through difficulties with my hip and though I have managed and played through the pain, the impact of training and playing on astro has sped up the damage much faster than I ever anticipated,” he explained.

“The past six weeks have been hell – pain is something I have been able to get on with and play with throughout my career, but it is the restriction and not being able to move which is what I am struggling with physically obviously, but also mentally.”

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and it looks like the Dodgers won’t be needing Tatiana Tate to be a live trumpeter for a while.

Well, we knew some bad news had to hit the Dodgers eventually, and it did on Monday when they put new closer Edwin Díaz on the injured list because of “loose bodies” in his right elbow. He will have surgery and will be out until sometime after the All-Star break.

Díaz signed a three-year, $69-million deal with the Dodgers before the season, and after a great debut, has steadily declined. He has a 10.50 ERA and has given up nine hits and walked five in six innings, striking out 10. He has four saves. Let’s look at each game:

March 27 vs. Arizona
1 IP, 0 hits, one walk, two strikeouts, save

March 28 vs. Arizona
1 IP, save

March 31 vs. Cleveland
1 IP, one hit, one ER, one walk, two strikeouts

April 5 at Washington
1 IP, one strikeout, save

April 7 at Toronto
1 IP, one hit, one walk, three strikeouts, save

April 10 vs. Texas
1 IP, four hits, three ER, one walk, two strikeouts, blown save, win

April 19 at Colorado
0 IP, three hits, three ER, one walk

We kept hearing from Díaz and the Dodgers that he was healthy, but his fastball had lost about two miles per hour, and he went nine days without pitching. The Dodgers are known for not always being 100% forthcoming about injuries (I’m pretty sure their health advisor is the Black Knight from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”).

And then on Monday we hear about “loose bodies.” Loose bodies in the elbow are small fragments of bone or cartilage which are floating in the joint.

At the moment, Díaz joins names that include Don Stanhouse (2-2, 5.04 ERA) and Kirby Yates (4-3, 5.23 ERA) among terrible free agent reliever signings by the Dodgers. Tanner Scott was terrible last season, led the league in blown saves and didn’t pitch in the postseason, but has rebounded so far this year (of course, it’s still early).

I thought after Yates and Scott were so bad last season that the Dodgers would wait a while before offering big money to a reliever. But no. You have to figure they will be shy now.

Of course, Díaz could recover from this and come back to be a great closer. But right now, yikes.

So who will be the new closer? The guess here is that Dave Roberts will go with whoever the matchups dictate. Their best relievers this season have been Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer and Scott. Blake Treinen pitched well until his last outing. Same with Will Klein.

So, looks like another season of bullpen uncertainty. We should all be used to it by now. But just think: Closer injured, Mookie Betts injured, Kyle Tucker not hitting as expected and the Dodgers are still 16-6 (on pace to win 118 games) and have the best record in baseball.

And of course those pesky San Diego Padres are right there with them at 15-7, the third-best record in baseball.

Welcome, Jake Eder

The Dodgers brought left-hander Jake Eder up from the minors to replace Díaz. Eder, 27, was with the Angels last season, where he went 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA in 18 1/3 innings, walking nine and striking out 15. He was selected out of Vanderbilt in the fourth round of the 2020 draft by the Miami Marlins.

Of course, we know one thing if he’s with the Dodgers, and sure enough: He missed the 2022 season after Tommy John surgery. The Marlins traded him to the White Sox in 2023 and he had an 11.42 ERA in five starts in double A. In 2024, he had a 6.61 ERA in 24 minor-league starts. His contract was purchased by the Angels before the 2025 season, and they traded him to Washington on July 30. The Dodgers purchased his contract on April 1.

Dalton Rushing is amazing

Dalton Rushing has 12 hits this season. Seven of them are home runs. In 27 at-bats, he is hitting .444/.496/1.296. He is one behind Max Muncy for the most home runs on the Dodgers. He is tied for fourth in the NL in homers, but everyone he is tied with or trailing has at least 50 more plate appearances.

He has 13 RBIs, tied for third on the team with Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández, trailing Andy Pages (21) and Freddie Freeman (14). They all have at least 50 more plate appearances.

At this point, I’d play him every day until Freeman comes back from paternity leave and strongly consider starting him at DH when Shohei Ohtani is the starting pitcher. This run won’t last forever, but might as well ride it out while you can.

Davey Lopes remembered

I’m a little behind on this, but the Dodgers honored Davey Lopes before the first home game they played after he died. They played a video and had a moment of silence for him.

I think he deserves a patch on the uniform, but, the Dodgers must think otherwise.

Charley Steiner says thanks

After the last newsletter, where readers gave their best wishes and shared their favorite Charley Steiner moments, Steiner sent along the following:

“This has all been so very flattering. I’m feeling better and stronger. The messages were so kind, flattering and overwhelming.”

Up next

Tuesday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 2-1, 2.10 ERA) at San Francisco (Landen Roupp, 3-1, 2.38 ERA), 6:45 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Wednesday: Dodgers (Shohei Ohtani, 2-0, 0.50 ERA) at San Francisco (Tyler Mahle, 0-3, 7.23 ERA), 6:45 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Thursday: Dodgers (Tyler Glasnow, 2-0, 3.24 ERA) at San Francisco (Logan Webb, 2-2, 5.40 ERA), 12:45 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz to undergo surgery, will return after All-Star break

Rick Monday on saving an American flag at Dodger Stadium: ‘I get letters every week’

Shaikin: Rick Monday saved an American flag in 1976. Why the moment resonates 50 years later

Behind the scenes of a milestone Make-A-Wish experience with the Dodgers

And finally

Vin Scully discusses what he does to prepare for a game. Watch and listen here.

Until next time….

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

A woman who moved from the Cotswolds to London over two decades ago has said that despite her vibrant life that there has been one massive downside of being based in the UK’s capital

There has been a noticeable ebb and flow in UK living patterns in recent years, as thousands of Britons weigh up whether they prefer city or countryside life.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many left urban centres in favour of the wide open spaces and cleaner air of the countryside, though some later returned when restrictions were lifted and they missed the convenience and amenities of city living.

As the cost of living crisis has continued, the debate over whether to stay in cities or relocate to the countryside has remained ongoing. One woman, who moved from the Cotswolds to London to run a pub in the East End, has explained why she has no intention of returning.

Artist and mother-of-five Pauline Forster, 76, runs The George Tavern on Commercial Road in Tower Hamlets, having bought the building for £500,000 in 2003 when she was 53.

More than 20 years and a major renovation later, the Grade II listed building — which had once been earmarked for demolition — is still standing and thriving. She has said that despite the high cost of living in London, she values the space her property provides for those who need it.

She told The Times: “There’s room here for whoever needs it, including my five sons. I like the scale and space of it — why would you buy a terraced house when you can get all this?

“I’ll admit that the bills, wages and utility bills are horrendous, and have rocketed in the time I have been here. I do have a mortgage but if I live to 80, I’ll have paid it off. I don’t really care because I’ll never stop working and the George will continue well after I’ve gone.”

Pauline added firmly that “nothing” would tempt her back to countryside living, saying the stimulating environment of London is both what she wants and what she needs.

However, while Pauline has chosen to remain in the capital, others have taken a different approach, opting to live outside the city while still commuting in for work.

Olivia Newton, 37, works in London but lives in South Hams in Devon with her husband Will.

Despite a four-hour commute and £150 off-peak train fare, she says she has no plans to move back to the city, largely because of the benefits the journey brings to her mental health and productivity.

She told The Times: “I once dreaded ‘the commute’ and that was from Shepherds Bush to my office in Shoreditch, but it’s become an integral and valuable part of my life in its own right.

“I get time to have a good think and finish off the deck I’ve been putting off, attempt to get to the end of my book club book and occasionally just zone out and watch the waves splash at the tracks as we pass through Dawlish.”

The Lakers followed the lead of their oldest member, the triple-double producing LeBron James, in dispatching the Wizards 120-101 at Crypto.com Arena on Monday night.

Two days off between games left James looking spry, with lob dunks and dunks on the fast break contributing to his 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. James was eight for 16 from the field in notching his third triple-double of the season and the 125th of his 23-year NBA career, ranking him fifth all time.

At 41 years and 90 days old, James once again became the oldest player in league history to record a triple-double, passing his previous mark (41 years, 79 days).

Lakers star LeBron James dunks against Washington at Crypto.com Arena on Monday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

“I mean, I’ve had moments more this year and last year that I’ve enjoyed more in the moment,” James said. “It’s pretty cool to know that I’m at this point in my career (and) I’m still able to do those things, man. It’s super dope. It’s super humbling. And I just try to put the work in and continue to put the work in and those are the results of it.”

James achieved the triple-double despite playing just 33 minutes.

“Yeah, I don’t know what to say. He’s very praise-worthy,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I tried to give every version of the same soliloquy about his longevity. But I don’t have anything for you tonight.”

For James and his teammates, Sunday’s practice had “value” because it allowed them to clean up some things, do some “teaching” and get some “reps” that will pay off with the playoffs approaching.

They put that into action against the Wizards, but the Lakers did so without star guard Luka Doncic, who did not play after being given a one-game suspension by the NBA for his 16th technical foul.

Austin Reaves took over the primarily ballhandling duties with Doncic out, running the show in delivering a near double-double with 19 points and nine assists. Reaves was just four for 11 from the field and he missed all four of his three-point attempts, but he was 11 for 12 from the line.

Lakers guard Luke Kennard, center, drives between Washington’s Tre Johnson, left, and Jamir Watkins during the first half Monday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Backup center Jaxson Hayes was outstanding in scoring 19 points on eight-for-eight shooting, including a three-pointer with six minutes and 41 seconds left.

Luke Kennard had 19 points off the bench, knocking down four of five from three-point range.

Deandre Ayton was a force for the Lakers, his efficient five-for-five shooting leading to 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

Each of them played their part to help the Lakers win for the 12th time in 13 games and limit the effect of Doncic’s absence.

Doncic leads the NBA in scoring (33.7 points per game), is fourth in assists (8.2), second three-pointers made (4.0) and first in points scored in the first quarter (12.0). He’ll return against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.

“Yeah, I mean we had a professional approach,” James said. “We came in, we got the job done, understanding it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we’re still trying to build habits for the postseason. So, a good win for us.”

Although the Lakers won handily, it was against a Wizards team tied for the worst record in the NBA (17-58). Washington has lost 18 of its past 19 games.

For the Lakers (49-26), the game was about making strides from a practice they rarely get to have.

“The value is being able to continue to improve,” Redick said before the game. “And again, I said this, we’ve placed a heavy emphasis on what we’re teaching in film and what we’re cleaning up in film, because we haven’t had court time to do that. So [Sunday], it was some of the game clean-up stuff. All the guys got some reps doing some things that they probably won’t do during a real game.”

Space isn’t a forgiving place to be stuck. There’s no air, no pulling over for directions and no margin for error. When something goes wrong, you’re left with whatever you have on hand for however long you can make it last.

That fear drives the new sci-fi epic “Project Hail Mary,” opening in theaters Friday, with Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher who wakes up alone on a spacecraft light-years from Earth with no memory of how he got there. Gradually he realizes he’s been sent on a mission to figure out why the sun is dimming and how to stop it. What begins in isolation turns into something closer to a buddy movie, as Grace ends up working with an alien he names Rocky, another traveler trying to solve the same problem.

The film, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, comes from sci-fi author Andy Weir, whose earlier, similarly survival-themed breakthrough novel “The Martian” was adapted by director Ridley Scott in 2015. That movie put Matt Damon alone on Mars and made the act of thinking through one life-or-death problem after another the engine of the story. The result was a critical and commercial hit that earned seven Oscar nominations, including best picture.

Put someone out in space long enough and the story can go in many directions. Sometimes it’s about survival. Sometimes it turns inward. Sometimes it gets more horrific or even darkly comic. Here are eight of our favorite movies about people lost or stranded in space. Watch them somewhere with plenty of oxygen.

Alex Polizzi made a return to our TV screens and helped a family transform their budget bed and breakfast

The Hotel Inspector’s Alex Polizzi was quick to issue an ultimatum to some hotel owners as she spotted a big problem. During Thursday’s (March 19) episode of the Channel 5 hit show, Alex was in the sprawling commuter town of Horley, to check into Gatwick Turret.

The budget bed and breakfast is run by 62-year-old Ram, 61-year-old Anj and their 37-year-old son, Rai. The 10-bedroomed Victorian guest house is just a mile down the road from Gatwick Airport, where over 250,000 flights carry up to 46 million passengers every year.

It seems like a great location for a hotel as a lot of people will be needing somewhere to stay before or after their getaways. However there is a lot of competition as Gatwick Turret is one of over 100 hotels, including big chain brands, fiercely vying for their business.

As the hotel owners wrestle with high overheads in a highly competitive market, the family have no choice but to run the hotel almost single-handedly to keep staffing costs down.

And Rai has a lot on his hands as the running of the hotel has recently been passed down to him and it’s all on him to turn things around for Mum and Dad and find a way of making a profit.

Alex knew she had a lot to do to help transform the hotel as she found mismatched décor and too many running costs. And before she could even get stuck in she was quick to spot a problem as she discovered that despite their hard work, the business is barely breaking even and the family are struggling to pay themselves.

Alex asked: “Tell me about what it cost you to put on a room?” Rai explained: “Each room costs around £4.20 for the linen. The tea, coffee tray, a bottle of water…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Alex jumped in: “It’s expensive water. I wouldn’t put a very expensive bottle of water in the room. So what does it cost?” Rai continued: “£3.20.”

Alex explained: “Adding to cost per room are roughly £6 on housekeeping, £9 towards the £350,000 pound mortgage, £24 on utilities and taxes and £9 commission for those pesky online booking sites.”

She continued: “So, the grand total of that, my dears, is £56. Lucky lucky you, all this work and all this headache and you’re making a profit of about £4 a night per year – not quite enough for retirement.”

Alex admitted: “There is obviously a problem.” She then asked: “Do you pay yourselves? Rai revealed: “A £1,000 each.” It was clear Alex was stunned as she gasped: “A £1,000 each a month. Gosh darling, I mean, I’m surprised the government allows it, you’re not even making minimum wage.”

Alex gave the owners an ultimatum as she later added: “So we either need to make more money or sell it off.”

After an intense few days of renovations and small changes, Alex managed to help the family turn things around and business seems to be heading in the right direction as Rai revealed that they are now making an extra £140 a week with their breakfast room and they managed to get some positive press.

You can stream The Hotel Inspector on Channel 5

The Yorkshire Vet stars Julian Norton and Lucy Pittaway tackled an unusual case

The Yorkshire Vet stars Julian Norton and Lucy Pittaway urgently operated on a dog that faced “life-threatening” problems as they admitted it’s something they had never seen before.

The Channel 5 hit show made a comeback to our TV screens on Tuesday evening (March 17), as the vets at Wetherby prepared for a momentous procedure on a three-year-old spaniel named Ghost, who had a mysterious bump on his body.

Julian explained: “His owners are worried that they’ve seen something swollen and big in his abdomen and of literally seeing it sticking out. So the bulge under his skin there, we think it’s a tumour on the spleen.”

While checking Ghost’s lump, he pointed out how it was bigger than anticipated as he said: “Generally the more aggressive cancers we see in older dogs, so that makes it rather unusual, but we’ll see, hopefully with something that we can easily remedy.”

Resident expert scanner Nat was forced to step in and examine Ghost as they struggled to identify the problem as she admitted: “It generally doesn’t look recognizable as anything else.”

Julian was worried as he said: “It could be on the liver. Now, if it is, a cancerous growth on the liver, then that makes it altogether more complicated.

“With the benefit of modern imaging, we can get a really good idea in most cases what we’re dealing with, but this seems to be a little bit of a strange one.”

With scans inconclusive, Julian and the team are puzzled by Ghost’s mysterious lump. They made the decision to operate on the spaniel.

However It was clear they had a huge challenge on their hands as Lucy admitted: “It’s weird because it’s just so prominent there. I’ve literally never seen anything like it. It’s like not moving at all.”

Following a strenuous operation, Julian expressed his relief as he confirmed that it was not an abdominal mass and could in fact be an infection. They decided to prescribe Ghost with some antibiotics to help tackle the swelling.

Julian and Lucy were left pleased as they discovered that just one month after operating on Ghost, his lump was completely gone.

Speaking to Lucy, Julian said: “I’m glad we didn’t do anything more dramatic at the time but yeah, totally mended. Job is a good one. Another life saved, Lucy.”

Lucy added: “At least he is much happier now.” Ghost is definitely in good spirits as he was later seen enjoying a walk with his owner Ryan.

You can catch up on The Yorkshire Vet on Channel 5

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