POLITICO’s EU Confidential · Ep 157: Peter Mandelson’s WTO bid — Recovery review — Kosovo maneuvers

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Peter Mandelson, former EU trade commissioner and British Cabinet minister, throws his hat into the ring to be the next boss of the World Trade Organization (WTO). He makes his pitch as to why he could pull the WTO out of crisis — and why Britain’s Conservative government might back him. He also discusses tensions with China and the path he foresees for a deal between the EU and the U.K.

The POLITICO podcast crew — Andrew Gray, Rym Momtaz and Matthew Karnitschnig — review the state of play as EU leaders hold a virtual summit on economic recovery plans and the bloc’s long-term budget. They also discuss Emmanuel Macron’s visit to London and ask how the U.S. outmaneuvered the EU in its own neighborhood with Kosovo peace talks.

Watford will still  be without star winger Gerard Deulofeu as they return to action, but boss Nigel Pearson insists his players will not be caught cold.

The Hornets welcome Leicester to Vicarage Road in Saturday’s early kick-off and sit just one place above the relegation zone on goal difference.

They lost at Crystal Palace before the coronavirus pandemic saw the season halted but their last home game was a shock 3-0 victory over champions-elect Liverpool.

Pearson knows that playing in front of an empty stadium means it will be impossible to replicate the feel of that evening but has backed his players to be quick out of the blocks 105 days since their last outing.

“It is going to be difficult without our fans to rekindle the atmosphere,” he said.

“We can’t rekindle that atmosphere, but I don’t think we have lost anything from being away. We have kept in contact with each other player-wise.

“Staff have kept in contact. We have had a really good network of support for the players, which has been very important, and likewise for the staff.

“I think we get the balance right between having a bit of fun and working very hard, and making sure people fully understand what is expected of them.”

Along with Deulofeu – who faces a fight to play any part in the remaining games as he recovers from a serious knee injury – Pearson will be unable to call on Daryl Janmaat and Isaac Success, but the former Leicester boss is pleased with his options.

“The players came back in good condition,” he added.

“We had players who re-joined at different stages based on their own feelings, but during that time some of those players had one-to-one sessions so they were integrated back in.

“We’ve at least had the last two weeks where the squad have really been together, and it’s allowed us to work at a pace where we think we’re as prepared as we can be given the circumstances.”

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe says Spurs target Ryan Fraser has played his last game for the club.

Fraser, whose contract expires later this month, declined to sign a short-term extension to remain at the Vitality Stadium until the end of the prolonged Premier League season.

Spurs are reportedly interested in bringing Fraser to north London with the Scot apparently telling friends he was keen to join Tottenham back in April.

BIG WEEKEND: Spurs v Man Utd, RLC, Arteta, Liverpool, Leeds

The 26-year-old will not be involved in Saturday’s home game against Crystal Palace or next week’s trip to Wolves as the 18th-placed Cherries scrap for survival.

“I don’t think I was particularly surprised by his decision. I think it’s been clear to us as a club for some time that Ryan wasn’t going to sign a new contract with us,” Howe said at a press conference.

“He’s now played his last game for the football club, he won’t be involved with us for the last nine games.”

Scotland international Fraser joined the Cherries from Aberdeen in January 2013 and made 208 appearances for the club, scoring 24 times.

Howe added: “I only want players who are fully focused on the relegation battle that we have ahead and I’m looking forward to doing that with my squad.

“These are the most important games this football club has had in recent times and we need everybody in the same position mentally, fighting tooth and nail, giving everything for the football club, and Ryan unfortunately, due to his contractual situation, can’t commit to that.”

We could not keep away from the camera for long so we made a Football365 Isolation Show. Watch it, subscribe and share until we get back in the studio/pub and produce something a little slicker…

Dimitar Berbatov says that Fred reminds him of Tottenham midfielder Moussa Sissoko and has hailed the Brazilian’s turnaround at Man Utd.

Fred has been one of the standout performers for Man Utd – who play Spurs on Friday night – this season, after a difficult start to his career in England.

Jose Mourinho signed the midfielder for £52million in his final summer at the club, but the 27-year-old struggled to adapt to the Premier League in a difficult period at the club.

MAILBOX: Man United have a potentially brilliant bench…

“At first, Fred had a difficult time at United, getting used to the tempo, with the speed of the games and the challenges,” Berbatov told Betfair.

“It’s not easy, coming from a different league, and sometimes he spent too much time on the ball and lost possession easily. Slowly but surely, however, his game has changed and he has become used to the Premier League.

“Fred’s improvement reminds me of how Moussa Sissoko started at Spurs, people didn’t rate him but now he’s player of the season already and the fans love him. Patience pays off and, like Sissoko, Fred is proving that he has turned it around.

“He isn’t getting much attention because Bruno Fernandes is still in the spotlight and Pogba is fit again, but Fred has his place there in midfield and if he is happy to not have the headlines but play regularly, I think he will take that.

“If you are an attacking player and you know that someone has your back, you are going to go forward freely and not be afraid to lose the ball.

“When you know you have Fred covering your back and you speak before the game, and have that understanding that your team mate will be there for you, it makes it much easier as an attacking player to take risks and play those passes that can cause a lot of trouble.”

Mikel Arteta says Mesut Ozil needs “a little bit of time” before he can play for Arsenal again this season, while the Spaniard has revealed that the midfielder reacted well to being left out.

The Arsenal manager was pretty brusque in his post-match interview following their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City and initially did not want to expand on leaving Ozil out of his 20-man squad.

When pushed he gave a five-word Ozil explanation – but now Arteta has opened up in more detail as to why the Germany international had been left out.

BIG WEEKEND: Spurs v Man Utd, RLC, Arteta, Liverpool, Leeds

“I have been very open with Mesut from day one,” said Arteta. “Since I joined I thought that he was fit and he was willing and he wanted to perform at the level that he can do.

“He has played every game with me I think. So that’s it. The moment I see that he is ready again to do that, I will treat him like anybody else. I think I have been more than fair with him and I think he has responded in many games the way I want. That’s it.”

When asked why Ozil wasn’t ready to play against City, Arteta added: “A lot has happened to him in the last few weeks and I have to respect the timing of every player that needs sometimes a little bit of time.

“It has been difficult preparation the last two months to get players ready, and again, I am the first one that wants Mesut at the best and I want to put him on the best when he can give his best.”

When asked by journalists about Ozil’s reaction to being dropped from the squad, Arteta continued: “He works very well with me, there were no issues at all.

“My conversation with Mesut is going to remain between him and me. What I can tell you is that it was completely fine, an honest and clear conversation, that’s it.”

We could not keep away from the camera for long so we made a Football365 Isolation Show. Watch it, subscribe and share until we get back in the studio/pub and produce something a little slicker…

Here we go, just a few days preceding the arrival of the mag. Congrats to everyone, including defending Pub Queen Christin Doneski who never finished worse than second in a Pub Series race this year. Also, a moment of frothy silence for those who fell in the quest for a vest – Meaghan Shaw, Claire McManus, Loren Obler, Chris Spinney, et al.

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The ING Hartford Marathon/NER “New England’s Finest” program is six pages in length in the Sept/Oct issue, including introductory letters from ING Hartford Marathon RD Beth Shluger and NER Editor/Co-Publisher Bob Fitzgerald, along with photos and text on the course, the marathon’s ‘green initiative’ and its elite half marathoners. Here we look at “New England’s Finest’ marathoners.

Sheri Piers, Falmouth, ME-The word for Sheri’s season to date is simple: Stupendous! Ranked 11th going into April’s Women’s Olympic Trials Marathon, Sheri, 37, ran a breakout PR of 2:38:46 to place 16th. Two year’s ago her PR was 3:09:00 from Boston. Hoping to break three hours at that year’s Maine Marathon, she ended up second in 2:56:40. She then got to watch her husband, Wayne, 43, qualify for Boston with a 3:13:16 in just his second marathon.
Training partner Kristen Barry of Scarborough, who’d placed second in the Maine Half Marathon, suggested they shoot for the Olympic Trials qualifying time of 2:47:00. On Nov. 18, 2007, Sheri and Kristen ran together through the finish line of the Philadelphia Marathon in 2:45:37.
Working on her speed since the Trials, Sheri ran 17:26 to win the women’s division of the Portland Sea Dogs Mother’s Day 5K, tying Kristen’s course record. At the Beach to Beacon 10K on August 2, Sheri was 10 seconds behind Kristen as Barry broke the decade-old Maine women’s course record in 34:37.
Working full-time as a nurse with five kids in the fold, the Dirigo RC ace is hedging her bets for the fall, projecting a finish somewhere in the 2:45:00 range (we’ll see if this doesn’t lower a bit). Hartford will be her 8th marathon. Wayne Piers will also be going the distance on Oct. 11!

Shannon McHale, West Simsbury, CT-The former Shannon Hovey will have the benefit of knowing the Hartford course; plus, this year she’ll also have the benefit of training exclusively for Hartford. After running 10 miles of molten macadam at last year’s heat and humidity stressed Chicago Marathon, Shannon wisely stepped off the course and 10 days later placed third at Hartford in 2:45:14.
“I was extremely happy with that,” says Shannon, a member of New Balance-
Connecticut. “Hartford is obviously a more difficult course than Chicago, but it’s a great event and it worked out really well.”                                                        
The 36 year-old former nurse and current massage therapist has run six Boston and Chicago Marathons since 2003, including a PR 2:42:08 from Chicago in 2006. She was just off that at the Women’s Olympic Trials Marathon in Boston with a time of 2:42:40.
At Hartford her stated goal is to shoot for a sub-2:40. Hartford will be Shannon’s 15th marathon.
The five children shared between Shannon and her husband, David McHale, will be elsewhere on marathon day as David-a veteran of 17 marathons with a best of 3:02-will also be running.

Patrick Moulton, Pelham, NH-Having moved back to his native NH at the end of July after a year-long stint as a Hanson’s Distance Project runner in Michigan, Pat is one of the èÏBig Three’ Olympic Trials èÏA’ qualifiers from New England along with brother Casey and Nate Jenkins of Lowell, MA. Pat qualified for the Trials at the 2006 Austin Marathon (TX) with a 2:15:35 clocking and was NER’s 2006 Runner of the Year.
In his most recent marathon outing at the Men’s Olympic Trials Marathon in New York City last November, Pat placed 28th overall in 2:18:35.
“I was looking for a fall marathon in the area and since my girlfriend has family out in Connecticut I thought Hartford would be a great competitive race to be in,‰âÂVbCrLf said Pat. “Casey’s not running a fall marathon but when he contacted me awhile back and told me about the New England focus this year and I was sold! I’m really looking forward to running this year.”

Diona Fulton, Somerville, MA-We were on hand when Diona, 28, was looking to break her 2:54:27 PR at the 2006 Chicago Marathon. She ended up running 2:51:31 and at this June’s Grandma’s Marathon, lowered that to 2:50:32.
Diona also ran at the Chicago “heat disaster” of 2006 and went through the finish line in 3:10:35. Three months later she won the extremely hilly Carlsbad Marathon in 3:07. “I’ve got a thing about finishing marathons,” says Diona. “Carlsbad was almost a training run but it was a very tough course.”
Finishing up a Masters in Education this fall, Diona is logging 100-110 mile weeks with
a stated desire to go sub-2:50 at Hartford. ING Hartford will be Diona’s 11th marathon.

Amy Nedeau-Belchertown, MA-When you think of the former Boston College ace you think 5K/10K. Amy does, after all, hold the women’s course record at the ING Hartford Marathon’s Huck Finn 5K (16:47, 2003) while her husband Erik ‘Ned’ Nedeau-the Amherst College women’s 2007 NCAA D3 XC Championship coach-holds the men’s record at 15:03 set in 2001.
Amy did, however, run her debut (and only) marathon at Hartford in 2006 along with training partner Seana Carmean, who placed fourth in a Trials qualifying 2:45:22. Amy logged in 6th among women in 2:53:34.
Seana missed both the 2004 & 2008 Trails with recurring injuries and no longer races, but she still trains religiously with Amy, 33, a 5th grade school teacher who’s out the door at 5:00 am.
“I’m actually in good, long-distance shape,” asserts Amy. “I’ve been running 100 miles a week during the summer, almost exclusively on the trails with Seana. We’ve seen moose, we’ve seen moose in compromising positions, we saw a bear that luckily was totally disinterested in us. I feel I’ve gotten a lot closer to 2:50 shape.”
Earlier this year Amy showed her strength in setting a new women’s record at the Wachusett Mtn. Race. It’s up in the air who’ll take care of Lucas, the couple’s 2 1/2 year-old son. Perhaps Amy’s mom if Eric goes for the Huck Finn 5K, or just decides to hang out with us in Bushnell Park’s Oktoberfest Beer Garden.

Michael Hall, New Milford, CT-A 2004 graduate of UConn, Michael, 27, is one of the state’s top distance runners and projects a 2:30:00 finish at Hartford. His PR is 2:35:16 from Philadelphia in 2006.
This April he ran 2:37:34 at Boston and placed 10th at the USATF-New England Half Marathon Championship in New Bedford with a time of 1:09:37. Hartford will be just his third foray at 26.2-miles.

Simonetta Piergentili, Wilmington, MA-A native of Italy who’s resided in the US since the age of six, ‘Sim’ is currently ‰âÂèÏon her game’ and has a definite predilection for the longer distances. Although injured for almost two years until recently, Sim has been a fixture at the Boston Marathon and in her last outing in 2006 she placed as fourth female Master overall in 2:52:28.
At the international-caliber Beach to Beacon 10K in Cape Elizabeth, ME this August, Sim, 44, was the second female Master in 37:30, behind only race winner Edith Masai of Kenya. Against an international field at Falmouth (which again included Masai) the Whirlaway Racing Team ace placed as fifth Master in 42:47.
Working as a Faculty Asst. at the Harvard Business School, Sim doesn’t want to jinx her health just yet. “I’m hoping for a 2:50 and that’s what I’m training for but let’s just say I’ll be somewhere under three hours.”

Glen Guillemette, Narragansett, RI-At age 48, Glen Guillemette is still winning races, ala this June’s Pack Monadnock 10-Miler. He is a former winner of the Ocean State Marathon, Clarence DeMar Marathon and Bay State Marathon.
At the 2007 USATF New England Championship (Cape Cod), Glen ran 2:33:07 on the rugged course. An amazingly consistent runner for over 28 years, the President of Guill Tool & Engineering gets better as the miles pile up. With a lifetime best of 2:21, Glen is shooting for a 2:33 at Hartford, a time that would have won the Masters division last year by over 7-minutes. Glen’s career encompasses 45 marathons including 15 Bostons (in one of which NER bet on Glen to beat a 40 year-old ballyhooed Runner’s World staffer…and won). Yah!

Dave Oliver, Westborough, MA-A speedy and versatile runner from 5K to the marathon, Dave and Reno Stirrat constantly trade top divisional places on the USATF-NE Grand Prix circuit. With Reno running the half at Hartford, it’s full speed ahead for Dave, 52, the third Senior overall at this April’s Boston Marathon in a time of 2:43:35.
A native of the UK, the Chief Technical Officer and VP of Business Development at Polytec is a veteran of 25 marathons. with a best of 2:40:00, that’s exactly what Dave is shooting for at Hartford.
Joining him at the marathon distance will be his 23 year-old daughter, Amy Oliver. “She’s really excited about it,” says Dave. “She’s run a few half marathons but this will be her first marathon.”

Race champions take control early and don’t let up; Ryan Hall third

NEW YORK – (August 16, 2009) – The winners of Sunday’s 4th NYC Half-Marathon are growing accustomed to breaking the tape in New York’s most coveted races. Three-time ING New York City Marathon winner Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain and NYC Half defending champion Tadese Tola of Ethiopia triumphed again on the streets of NYC.

Despite warm, humid conditions, the professional
men and women took off quickly as the horn sounded at 7:00am in Central
Park. Radcliffe , who’s run history’s fastest-ever
half-marathon (1:05:40) but had never raced the distance in the United
States, led Ethiopia’s Mamitu Daska, while defending race champion Catherine Ndereba of Kenya kept close company.

As the women left the park in the eighth mile,
Radcliffe, 35, made a break and never looked back. She hadn’t raced
since her ING New York City Marathon victory last November, and the
British Olympian entered the NYC Half just this week as a test of her
fitness and recovery from bunion surgery in March. She’ll decide in the
next few days whether she will run the IAAF World Championships
Marathon in Berlin on Sunday, August 23.

“I needed to blow out some racing cobwebs,” said
Radcliffe. “I’m the first to admit that this is an unorthodox way to
test myself for a marathon – running a half-marathon a week out.”

Radcliffe eased up in the final miles and finished
in 1 hour, 9 minutes, 45 seconds, just two seconds short of Ndereba’s
course record. Daska was runner-up in 1:11:04 and Ndereba took third
(1:11:56).

Tola’s initial fast start was matched by four-time Olympian Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa. “We knew he was going to push us, and I took the risk, but he didn’t want my company,” said Ramaala.

By mile nine, Tola, 21, was alone on the West Side
Highway. “It’s very hard to run by yourself,” Tola said, comparing this
year’s race last year’s close finish with Kenya’s Patrick Makau.
This year, despite leg cramping after 15K, he held on to finish in
1:01:06, just eight seconds shy of his 2008 time but far from Haile Gebrselassie‘s 2007 record of 59:24.

Morocco’s Ridouane Harroufi took second in 1:02:32, and U.S. Olympian and half-marathon record holder Ryan Hall followed closely in 1:02:35, good for third.

“I have a good amount of time to prepare for New
York City,” said Hall, referring to his plans to run the ING New York
City Marathon 2009. “I should be able to run this pace twice over in
November.”

Three women with New York ties placed in the top 10: Bizunesh Deba of Westchester Track Club (WTC, fifth, 1:13:17), Ilsa Paulson of WTC (sixth, 1:13:20) and New York native Lindsey Scherf (ninth, 1:14:56). Local men Stephen Chemlany of WTC (seventh, 1:04:10), Ketema Nigusse of West Side Runners (eighth, 1:04:13) and Worku Beyi of WTC (ninth, 1:04:28) also performed well.

“I expected a top finish,” said Chemlany, “and it was good to have competition with my fellow locals.”

A total of 10,171 people finished the race. For
many, the warm conditions were a challenge, but they responded with
typical New York grit and determination.

“All the training runs in the park really made a difference,” said Melissa Bergman, a Team for Kids runner who finished in 2:19:14.

Another NYC finisher, Michael Anderson,
mopped his dripping brow and smiled after his 1:38:53 finish. “It was
tough,” he said, “but no matter how bad you feel, nothing beats running
through Times Square.”

4th NYC Half-Marathon
New York, NY, Sunday, August 16, 2009

MEN
1) Tadese Tola (ETH), 1:01:06, $10,000
2) Ridouane Harroufi (MAR), 1:02:32, $7500
3) Ryan Hall (USA / CA), 1:02:35, $5000
4) Abdi Abdirahman (USA / AZ), 1:02:51, $3500
5) Hendrick Ramaala (RSA), 1:04:02, $2000
6) Abderrahime Bouramdane (MAR), 1:04:08, $1500
7) Stephen Chemlany (KEN), 1:04:10, $1000
8) Ketema Nigusse (ETH), 1:04:13, $750
9) Worku Beyi (ETH), 1:04:28, $500
10) Hosea Rotich (KEN), 1:04:59, $250

WOMEN
1) Paula Radcliffe (GBR), 1:09:45, $10,000
2) Mamitu Daska (ETH), 1:11:04, $7500
3) Catherine Ndereba (KEN), 1:11:56, $5000
4) Nadia Ejjafini (BRN), 1:12:47, $3500
5) Buzunesh Deba (ETH), 1:13:17, $2000
6) Ilsa Paulson (USA / NY), 1:13:20, $1500
7) Deena Kastor (USA / CA), 1:13:47, $1000
8) Aniko Kalovics (HUN), 1:14:51, $750
9) Lindsey Scherf (USA / NY), 1:14:56, $500
10) Sheri Piers (USA / ME), 1:16:16, $250

Full results at: www.NYRR.org

From the Mar/Apr 2009 issue of NER. Click below.

Top
American Marathoner Ryan Hall Kicks Off John Hancock‰Ûªs 2011 Boston Marathon
Employee Training Program

‰ÛÏWe are so pleased to kick off our 2011 Marathon efforts with Ryan,‰Û
said Rob Friedman, Assistant Vice President, John Hancock Sponsorship and
Event Marketing. ‰ÛÏWhile he remains committed to running at an amazing
level, he also is equally passionate about taking steps to make the world
a better place ‰ÛÒ and engaging people to join him.‰Û  

The John Hancock Boston Marathon
Fundraising Program is part of the Company’s $11.2 million of total support
in 2010 to Boston area non-profits.  The Company also donates 10,000
hours of community support through its employee volunteer programs each
year.