Fattened on an endless supply of Premier League controversy

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick — whose name autocorrect sagely swaps for ‘bellicose’ — cut to the heart of the essential difficulty facing sports media this week.

Never known for his patience, Belichick dismissed one question he didn’t like thus: “I could Xerox you a copy of the game-plan and you could send it over to Kansas City, might be easier for all of us.”

The essential truth; if a coach or player has anything relevant to say before a game, they don’t want to say it, a problem for an industry increasingly reliant on pre-game press briefings for copy.