Sean

Nottingham Forest have sacked Sean Dyche as head coach after less than four months in charge and are looking for their fourth boss of the season.

Forest were held to a goalless draw at home by bottom club Wolves on Wednesday and are just three points above the Premier League relegation zone with 12 games remaining.

Dyche, 54, succeeded Ange Postecoglou in October and had signed a contract until the summer of 2027.

“Nottingham Forest Football Club can confirm that Sean Dyche has been relieved of his duties as head coach,” a statement read.

“We would like to thank Sean and his staff for their efforts during their time at the Club and we wish them the best of luck for the future. We will be making no further comment at this time.”

Love Island All Stars has descended into chaos after Belle Hassan confronted Lucinda Strafford in a heated villa clash

Love Island stars Lucinda Strafford and Sean Stone have been branded “fake” in an explosive All Stars row.

The third instalment of the popular spin-off returned to ITV2 last month, bringing back familiar faces from previous series for another shot at romance.

Over recent weeks, audiences have been treated to explosive rows, surprising eliminations and numerous bombshell entrances. The latest shake-up saw six American contestants arrive, alongside the unveiling of villa USA.

However, conflict wasn’t far away as Belle Hassan and Sean found themselves at loggerheads after Sean opted to pursue Lucinda whilst Belle was in the other villa. Tensions reached boiling point on Monday (February 2), when Sean and Lucinda shared their first kiss in the secret garden, reports OK!.

During Tuesday’s (February 3) instalment, an angry Belle confronted Lucinda as she attempted to make amends. Belle interjected, stating: “I don’t want to hear that because it’s not true, is it? You’re not sorry.”

Lucinda responded: “I feel like what’s happened with me and Sean, when I came in, he was my top pick and there’s no doubt about that.”

Belle wasn’t convinced, particularly given Lucinda’s decision to couple up with Ciaran Diaries when she first arrived, after she wanted to “throw the girls off” regarding her preferences.

Challenging her directly, Belle demanded: “What’s real, Lucinda? What is real?” to which a taken-aback Lucinda replied: “Don’t start coming at me.”

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Belle didn’t hold back, saying: “What’s real? If we’re going to have a conversation, let’s be open and honest. What’s real? And let me get one thing straight, you’ve not once gave a f*** about my feelings or [made] me feel comfortable in this, so don’t expect that same thing from me cause that isn’t gonna happen.”

She added: “So, if this conversation you’ve wanted to have all day was for me to validate your s*** behaviour, that’s not gonna happen… This nice girl image just doesn’t wash, I see through it.”

Lucinda hit back, responding: “I don’t really respect you talking to me like that.”

Undeterred, Belle went on: “I don’t respect the way you’ve behaved since the first day you got here, so evidently we’re not going to be on the same page ever… I don’t need to know you for any longer… All you think about is yourself and that has been evident.”

Hinting at her suspicions about Lucinda’s romance with Sean being disingenuous, Belle wrapped up: “We aren’t going to be cool… You do want you need to do, I’ll keep out of your way and that’s where we’re at. I think the whole situation is very fake.”

Viewers flocked to X (formerly Twitter) to applaud Belle’s no-nonsense approach, with one fan posting: “I wish I could handle conversations the way Belle does. I’m actually in awe watching her say it how it is with Lucinda.”

Another viewer observed: “Belle has officially clocked Lucinda’s behaviour and Lucinda couldn’t even defend herself,” whilst a third declared: “Belle calling out Lucinda for her nice girl act finaalllyy someone has had the courage to say it all to her face.”

Meanwhile, one confused fan commented: “What has Lucinda done wrong. I’m still trying to understand.” Will Belle and Lucinda be able to patch things up?

Love Island All Stars airs Sunday to Friday on ITV2 and ITVX at 9pm

From Gary Klein: Coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead signed extensions that will keep them with the Rams for at least several more years.

Will quarterback Matthew Stafford decide to return and join them for an 18th NFL season?

“Our hope is that he does,” McVay said Monday during a videoconference with reporters, “But I think that with respect to his timetable … whenever he feels ready to make that announcement we’ll let him be able to do that.”

McVay spoke minutes after the Rams announced that McVay and Snead had signed extensions, ensuring the most important combination in the organization remains intact.

McVay, 40, and Snead, 55, were entering the final years of their contracts.

McVay, who was hired in 2017, and Snead, who has been the general manager since 2012, had previously been extended after Super Bowl appearances in the 2018 and 2021 seasons. They had offers on the table before this season but did not sign them.

The Rams have made two Super Bowl appearances and have been in the playoffs seven times in McVay’s nine seasons.

“As we enter their 10th season together, it is only fitting to reflect on the tremendous success Sean and Les have brought to this franchise, and the indelible impact they have made on Los Angeles and the NFL,” Rams owner Stan Kroenke said in a statement. “They continue to embody the standard of this franchise to compete for championships, consistently delivering a product that our fans and city can be proud of.”

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Super Bowl

Sunday

at Santa Clara

Seattle vs. New England

3:30 p.m. PT, NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, KLAC AM 570

Halftime show: Bad Bunny

National anthem: Charlie Puth

Odds: Seahawks favored by 4.5 points

Over/Under: 45.5 points

Clippers lose to 76ers

Tyrese Maxey scored 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, Dominick Barlow added 26 points and 16 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Clippers 128-113 on Monday night for their fourth consecutive victory.

The game featured two big names who weren’t selected as All-Star reserves: Joel Embiid of the Sixers and Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers.

Embiid had 24 points as he continues to gain full strength after a right ankle injury. The Sixers improved to 11-10 without Paul George, who is serving a 25-game suspension for violating the NBA’s anti-drug program.

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Clippers box score

NBA standings

Dodgers’ Edwin Díaz will pitch in WBC

New Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz will pitch for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic in March, it was announced Monday.

Díaz, who signed a three-year, $69-million contract in December as the most sough-after reliever in free agency, pitched for Puerto Rico in the 2023 WBC but tore the patellar tendon in his right knee while celebrating a win over the Dominican Republic that pushed the team into the quarterfinals. He missed the entire 2023 MLB season as a result.

The 31-year-old Díaz has a 2.82 ERA and 253 saves over his nine-year career. In that time, no other MLB reliever tops him in strikeouts (839), while only Kenley Jansen has recorded more saves (334). With the New York Mets last season — his second since returning from knee surgery — Díaz also had one of his best career campaigns, posting a 1.63 ERA with 28 saves in 31 opportunities and 98 strikeouts in 66 ⅓ innings.

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This day in sports history

1944 — Syd Howe of the Detroit Red Wings scores six goals in a 12-6 victory over the New York Rangers. Howe is the first player to score six goals in a game since Cy Denneny of the Ottawa Senators in 1921.

1956 — Austria’s Toni Sailer wins the men’s downhill to become first Olympic skier to sweep three Alpine events.

1976 — Washington’s Dave Bing, in his final NBA All-Star game apperance, wins the MVP and leads the East to a 123-109 victory over the West in Philadelphia. Bing has 16 points and four assists.

1980 — Larry Bird hits the first three-point shot in the history of the NBA All-Star Game.

1982 — Steve Mahre, twin brother of overall champion Phil Mahre, becomes the first American male skier to win a gold medal in an Olympics or world championship competition when he edges Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark in the giant slalom at the worlds.

1990 — Bill Shoemaker, the world’s winningest jockey, finishes fourth on Patchy Groundfog in his final ride at Santa Anita. The 58-year-old Shoemaker finishes his 40-year career with $123,375,524 in earnings, a record 8,833 wins, 6,136 seconds and 4,987 thirds in 40,350 starts.

1998 — Dino Ciccarelli becomes the ninth NHL player to reach 600 goals when he scores on a power play with 5:09 remaining in the third period to give the Florida Panthers a 1-1 tie against the Detroit Red Wings.

2000 — World Wrestling Federation mastermind Vince McMahon unveils his latest creation: the XFL, a new pro football league.

2001 — One year later, the XFL muscles its way onto the national sports scene with its first two games. With exuberant cheerleaders and trash-talking players, the Las Vegas Outlaws beat the New York/New Jersey Hitmen 19-0, while the Orlando Rage beat the Chicago Enforcers 33-29 before a crowd of 35,603 in Orlando.

2002 — Adam Vinatieri’s 48-yard field goal as time expires gives Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots their first Super Bowl title with a 20-17 win over the two-touchdown favorite St. Louis Rams.

2006 — Martin Brodeur becomes the third goaltender in NHL history to reach 100 shutouts when New Jersey blanks Carolina 3-0. Brodeur joins Terry Sawchuk (115) and George Hainsworth (102).

2008 — Eli Manning and the New York Giants end New England’s unbeaten season and pull off one of the great Super Bowl upsets. Manning throws a 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds left to beat the Patriots 17-14.

2013 — The Baltimore Ravens survive a power outage at the Super Bowl to edge the San Francisco 49ers 34-31. Jacoby Jones returns the second-half kickoff 108 yards, a Super Bowl record, to give Baltimore a 28-6 lead. Moments later, lights lining the Superdome fade. When action resumes 34 minutes later, Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers score 17 consecutive points, getting as close as 31-29. Baltimore stops San Francisco on fourth-and-goal from the 5 with under 2 minutes left when Kaepernick’s pass sails beyond Michael Crabtree in the end zone.

2017 — Tara VanDerveer becomes the second NCAA women’s coach to reach 1,000 victories when No. 8 Stanford beats USC 58-42 to give the Hall of Famer a milestone before a home crowd at Maples Pavilion.

2019 — Super Bowl LIII, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA: New England Patriots beat Rams, 13-3; MVP: Julian Edelman, NE Patriots, WR; Patriots’ 6th SB victory

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

SANTA CLARA — The Rams took care of their first order of business, signing coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead to contract extensions, the team announced Monday.

McVay, 40, and Snead, 55, were entering the final years of their contracts.

McVay, who was hired in 2017, and Snead, who has been the general manager since 2012, had previously been extended after Super Bowl appearances in the 2018 and 2021 seasons. They had offers on the table before this season but did not sign them.

The Rams have made two Super Bowl appearances and have been in the playoffs seven times in McVay’s nine seasons.

The Rams finished 12-5 this season and advanced to the NFC championship game before losing to the Seattle Seahawks, who play the New England Patriots on Sunday in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

The Rams will now turn their attention to possible extensions for receiver Puka Nacua, defensive lineman Kobie Turner, edge rusher Byron Young and offensive lineman Steve Avila.

Late in the mess that was the Rams’ final game of the season, Sean McVay was seen frustratingly burying his face in his play card.

That couldn’t hide the truth.

The Rams’ 31-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in the NFC championship game must be draped on the deflated shoulders of the Rams’ resident genius.

As blasphemous as it sounds when referencing one of the greatest coaches in Los Angeles sports history, this one was on McVay.

A day after his 40th birthday, McVay coached like he was no longer the child prodigy, but instead an aging leader who leaves himself open to second-guessing.

McVay has rarely deserved criticism in his nine successful seasons here. But in the wake of an afternoon at Seattle’s deafening Lumen Field that should have propelled the Rams to the Super Bowl, this is one of those times.

A confusing final possession of the first half. Another special teams miscue. A bad decision to pass up a field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter.

It all added up to negatively impact a game the Rams could have won, and should have won.

“I love this team and I wasn’t ready to stop working with them,” McVay said. “This was a special year, it’s hard to fathom that it’s over.”

It shouldn’t be over. The Rams gained 479 yards against the league’s top-rated defense. They only committed four penalties. The offense didn’t have a turnover. Matthew Stafford was brilliant, 374 yards, three touchdowns, countless big throws.

The Rams were great, but during the biggest moments, they got goofy, and basically handed the Super Bowl invitation to the Seahawks on a grass-stained platter.

What was McVay thinking?

Rams coach Sean McVay watches from the sideline during the fourth quarter of a 31-27 loss to the Seahawks in the NFC championship game Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Begin with the Rams’ possession at the end of the first half, after they scored a touchdown to take a 13-10 lead and their running game was rolling and they had a chance to capitalize on their momentum.

But instead of continuing to pound the ball and at least run down the clock, they threw twice in three plays, both incompletions, and had to punt after just 39 seconds, thus giving the ball back to the Seahawks with 54 seconds remaining in the half. Sure enough, the Seahawks then went 74 yards in 34 seconds, highlighted by a 42-yard pass from reborn Sam Darnold to Jaxon Smith-Njigba against Kam Curl and ending with a 14-yard touchdown pass to an uncovered Smith-Njigba to give them a 17-13 halftime lead.

The strategy by McVay was so flawed, it was actually criticized by Tom Brady on Fox, and Brady rarely criticizes anybody.

“The finality of all of it, I didn’t really expect this,” McVay said. “We had our chances … a couple of critical errors that ended up costing us. … I’m pretty numb.”

The next mistake occurred at the start of the second half with — surprise, surprise — more special teams struggles. This time it was Xavier Smith muffing a punt and Dareke Young recovering on the Rams’ 17-yard line. On the next play, Darnold hit former UCLA star Jake Bobo for a touchdown pass ahead of Quentin Lake to give the Seahawks a 24-13 lead.

“It was costly,” McVay said. “That was a tough one.”

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Gary Klein breaks down what went wrong for the Rams in their 31-27 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC championship game at Lumen Field.

Special teams have haunted McVay for a couple of years. They were so bad earlier this season that he dumped the coordinator. It didn’t matter. They still stink. Coaches always talk about the three phases of the game. McVay clearly doesn’t have a handle on this third phase.

Even with all this, the Rams were driving in the fourth quarter with a chance to take the lead or at least make a dent in a four-point deficit when another decision went bad.

The Rams had rolled 84 yards in 14 plays and were facing fourth and four at the Seattle six-yard line. There was 4:59 left in the game. That was plenty of time to kick the field goal, take the points, then lean on the defense to stop mistake-prone Darnold long enough to drive back downfield for the winning field goal.

But, no. McVay decided to go for it, and Stafford ended up throwing a pass to a blanketed Terrance Ferguson, the ball fell incomplete, and the Seahawks held the ball until the last 25 seconds.

Take the points! C’mon man, take the points!

If the Rams were within a field goal of winning, the pressure on the Seahawks would have been enormously heightened and the momentum of the ensuing drive would have felt entirely different and even if the Rams still only got the ball back with 25 seconds left and no timeouts … that’s long enough for a field-goal drive.

Rams coach Sean McVay, right, shakes hands with Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald after the Rams’ 31-27 loss in the NFC championship game Sunday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Granted, winning this game was a tough task. The Rams were trying to become only the sixth team to win three consecutive road playoff games. But they seemed up to the challenge and seemed destined to win … until they didn’t.

“A lot of resolve, a lot of resilience from our group, we just came up short,” McVay said.

The Rams will be back. Stafford has given no indication that he’s retiring, Puka Nacua isn’t going anywhere, the heart of the young defense returns and, of course, McVay is back.

One assumes his numbness will eventually disappear. One trusts it will be replaced by some of that resolve and resilience.