Jonathan Agnew
BBC Test Match Special

Mark Robinson has pedigree and is a well respected coach within the English game, having won two County Championships at Sussex. But they were relegated last season.

He has no international experience - that was something that Clare Connor said was a key attribute for any successful candidate.

But Robinson led an England Lions tour to South Africa at the start of 2015, apparently impressing the ECB during the trip.

This is a step up for the England women with a coach with vast experience at a high level in the men's game, but the pressure is on with success expected at next year's Twenty20 World Cup.

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Mark Robinsonhas been appointed head coach of England women.

He takes over from Paul Shaw, who stepped down as England women's head of performance in September.

Robinson, 48, is first-team coach at Sussex and scheduled to start his new role at the end of the year, in time for the South Africa tour in February.

"To have the chance to play a part in the next chapter for the England women's team is a great honour," the former right-arm seam bowler said.

However, BBC Sport understands that, as yet, Paul Lambert has had no contact with Blackburn.

That's not to say it won't happen though - watch this space.

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Paul Lambert is Blackburn's number one target as they search for a replacement for Gary Bowyer, reports The Sun., external

Bowyer was sacked on Tuesday with Rovers 16th in the Championship. Assistant boss Terry McPhillips, and coaches Craig Short, Tony Grant and John Keeley have also left the club.

Lambert, 46, has been out of work since being axed by Villa last season.

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It's not often John Toshack is given credit for Wales current success but he's been praised by defender Chris Gunter.

"He put a lot of faith into a lot of young players," Gunter said.

"He got the ball rolling and you're always grateful to mangers that hand you debuts, certainly at a young age.

Toshack gave international debuts to Gunter, Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey and others during his time in charge, with Gunter is set win his 64th cap in Friday's friendly against the Netherlands.

You can't beat a good row - and ladies and gentleman, we have one here.

Yorkshire director of cricket Martyn Moxon has branded outspoken Sky Sports pundit Bob Willis as being "anti-Yorkshire".

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Former England captain Willis honed in Adil Rashid and Jonny Bairstow in the wake of England's 2-0 series defeat to Pakistan, calling Rashid "useless" and describing Bairstow as a "rabbit in the headlights".

Moxon told the Yorkshire Post: "I think the criticism is brutal. I just can't watch it any more, to be honest.

"I think Willis is anti-Yorkshire, I'll be honest. "Any chance he gets to have a dig, he will."

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In 2008, Dutchman John Metgod was unveiled as Portsmouth's first-team coach. Both he and manager Tony Adams were dismissed less than four months later.

Two weeks ago, suspended Fifa president Sepp Blatter suggested there was an agreement in place for Russia to host the 2018 World Cup - before the vote took place.

And now England, the Netherlands and Belgium are seeking legal advice over whether to claim compensation for the cost of their respective failed bids.

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The Dutch and Belgian bid, which cost 10m euros (£7m), went up against another joint venture from Portugal and Spain, as well as individual entries from England and Russia.

England were eliminated after the first round of voting, while the Dutch-Belgian bid finished third in the second round, and Russia went on to be declared winners.

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Strong words from Football Association chairman Greg Dyke, who has questioned whether any World Cup has been won without "a pile of bungs".

Wolfgang Niersbach quit as president of the German football federation (DFB) amid claims payments were made to officials at world football's governing body Fifa during the bidding process for the 2006 World Cup.

Germany beat England, South Africa and Morocco to host the 2006 event.

"It is like The Archers. Every week something is happening," said Dyke. "You begin to be convinced almost no World Cups have been allocated without a pile of bungs."

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Pep Guardiola will be offered a staggering £17m-a-year to stay as Bayern Munich's manager, and snub a move to the Premier League, according to The Mirror., external

But former Bayern defender Willy Sagnol - now coach at Bordeaux - has told the Manchester Evening News, external that Manchester City would be the perfect place for Guardiola to start a new project.

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Told about Ford's comments at the news conference after his arrival in Sydney, Burgess said: "Mike might be a bit upset and that's fine.

"What did he say? That I missed my mum? Who doesn't miss their mum? I'm not afraid to say that.

"Fordy is entitled to what he wants to say. It is more a reflection on him than me."

Burgess has, of course, re-signed for former club Sydney Rabbitohs, where he said he would remain "for a long time now".

And the first thing he was asked about was criticism from Bath head coach Mike Ford, who claimed Burgess "didn't have the stomach" to fight for his future in rugby union.

"For me this was the time to roll his sleeves up and become the player that I thought he could be and he chose not to," said Ford.

"I spoke to him about what a fantastic player he could be, and about the investment the club and the players had made in him, and that it was time to repay that.

"But he chose differently."

Sam Burgess is back in Australia ahead of resuming his rugby league career and has been facing the media.

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BBC Radio 5 Live

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Tyrone Mings reveals how he quit his job as a mortgage advisor to become a professional footballer. However, after getting injured in a trial game his career in the game was nearly over before it began.

We'll have more on the athletics - because there will inevitably be more - as the day progresses, but now let's turn our attention to a dog and one of the more bizarre stories you'll read today.

American football player Ray-Ray Armstrong is under police investigation for barking and pounding his chest at a police dog.

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The 24-year-old - that's Armstrong, not the dog - reportedly lifted his shirt and taunted the animal shortly before the start of Oakland Raiders NFL game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday..

The linebacker could be charged with taunting a police K-9, a third degree felony in Pennsylvania.

Police deputy Maria Watts said Armstrong was shouting "hey dog, hey dog" after leaving the locker room before the game.

"No-one in the department, from the sheriff down, is happy about this," added Watts.

Russian athletes accused of doping should have disciplinary proceedings brought against them, according to the International Olympic Committee.

The IOC has requested the IAAF take action after a damning report into widespread doping was released.

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Meanwhile, Lamine Diack has been provisionally suspended as an honorary member of the International Olympic Committee.

And Russia is not the only country with systemic doping problems, according to UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner. "This iceberg spreads in two different directions," he said. "I suspect there are probably four, five or six nations that athletics has a problem with."

In the Independent, marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe has a pop at Wada.

Image source, Independent

Let's start with the athletics because, to be honest, it's what everyone is talking about.

You know the script right? Wada - that's the World Athletics Doping Association - asked an independent commission to examine allegations of doping, cover-ups, and extortion in Russian athletics.

It did and what they found was dynamite.

Russia was accused of running a "state-supported" doping programme and the commission recommended the country be banned from athletics competitions.

Since then, as you'd expect, it's all been kicking off big-style. Here are the latest developments...