bbc--2020-04-20--Who has been the Premier League's best worst team? - vote

The Premier League is on hold , indefinitely , along with most of the rest of the world .
When - if - it does resume , Norwich City will be the side propping up the rest of the Premier League .
The Canaries ' haul of 21 points from their 29 games so far may not tell the whole story , with Daniel Farke 's side consistently proving good to watch this season .
Former City striker Chris Sutton called them `` the best ever team to have been bottom of the Premier League '' earlier in the season @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who do you think were the best worst side out of this lot ?
You can decide at the bottom .
From Nottingham Forest to Huddersfield , 19 clubs have finished bottom of the Premier League , some more often than once , Sunderland and Crystal Palace on three occasions each .
Let 's take a look at some contenders and cast your vote for the Premier League 's best ever bottom club ... Loads of eye-catching passing , little in the way of results ?
If you 've seen the Canaries play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` They 're a brilliant team , '' said Sutton on 606 in February .
`` They are really good and they have n't lost confidence , they 're playing with belief , they 're bottom of the table .
How many times have we seen Premier League teams do that ?
Norwich are the best ever team at the bottom of the table because of the courage and the way they play football and the belief . ''
All is certainly not lost for Norwich this season - should it resume @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with nine games left and already have more points than six 20th-placed sides collected in entire seasons .
Their 'entertaining ' brand of football may be a bit misleading though - they rank 13th for best goals/game ratio for bottom placed sides , ninth for shots/game and seventh for shots on target/game .
However , they are the only bottom side since 2003-04 to have an average possession of over 50 % , so if the season gets voided and they decide to rank teams on that they might be OK ... Bottom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Well let 's clear that up straight away .
The first three seasons of the Premier League contained 22 teams so each side played 42 games , skewing Brian Clough 's final season in charge of Forest somewhat .
So that may inflate their points and wins tally , but should be taken into account when looking at their defensive record as well .
Only three sides to finish bottom since have conceded fewer goals , even with playing four fewer games .
Playing Roy Keane at centre-half may not have been as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first ever live game shown on Sky Sports - beating Liverpool - but were rarely out of the relegation zone all season .
Forest again - who just drew too many games .
Their points total of 34 is the highest recorded by a side finishing 20th since the Premier League went down to 20 sides in 1995 .
The average - over the 24 full seasons played by a 20-team league - is 26 .
Forest 'only ' lost 16 times this season , the fewest defeats recorded by a team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Norwich this season have already lost 18 times , while the record for defeats in a 38-game season is an eye-watering 29 .
Not that it helped - 16 draws were the issue as they still ended up seven points shy of safety .
Again their defensive record was impressive for a struggling side but a lack of firepower was the problem that even the arrival of Pierre van Hooijdonk could not remedy .
The unluckiest team to finish bottom ?
Going into the final day of the 2004-05 season the Saints were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even took the lead against Manchester United .
But a United fightback coupled with a win for West Brom sent Harry Redknapp 's side tumbling down after 27 years in the top flight .
No side to finish bottom of a 20-team division can match their haul of 45 goals , while only Forest in 1993 have as good a ( still bad ) goal difference as -21 .
They only lost four games more than Liverpool - who finished fifth and won the Champions League .
And then took Peter Crouch ... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has managed while finishing bottom of a 20-team Premier League .
It has happened on four occasions - Bolton in 1995-96 , Crystal Palace two years later , West Brom in 2008-09 and QPR in 2014-15 .
We 've picked this particular side as they were closest to staying up - finishing just three points behind Hull City and safety .
Under Tony Mowbray the Albion were usually a good side to watch too , having 14.71 shots on goal per game - a total only bettered by West Ham two years later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % can only be bettered by this year 's Norwich crop too… The ultimate example of a team not being the sum of its parts ?
A squad containing Rob Green , Wayne Bridge , Kieron Dyer , Scott Parker , Mark Noble , Carlton Cole , Robbie Keane , Demba Ba and Thomas Hitzlsperger reached the semi-finals of the League Cup with a manager who had been in the Champions League final three years earlier but still spent just three weeks of the season outside of the relegation zone .
Failing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wolves lost more games but stayed up .
Sure they managed over 15 efforts on goal per game - with 4.58 of those on target every game , the most of any team to finish bottom - but Green was beaten on 70 occasions .
What do you get if you start with Tony Pulis , add some Gary Megson , sprinkle in some Alan Pardew and end up with Darren Moore ?
Relegated , that 's what .
But relegated with the best defensive record in Premier League history .
If there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pat on the back for shipping 56 goals , this is it .
The average for teams who finish bottom in the 20-team era is 69.7 so this West Brom side were on to something - it just was n't staying up .
Thirty-one goals scored at the other end was their issue and a late revival under Moore of three wins in four was fruitless .
Now vote for the Premier League 's best worst side ...

The Premier League is on hold, indefinitely, along with most of the rest of the world.
When - if - it does resume, Norwich City will be the side propping up the rest of the Premier League.
The Canaries' haul of 21 points from their 29 games so far may not tell the whole story, with Daniel Farke's side consistently proving good to watch this season.
Former Norwich striker Chris Sutton called them "the best ever team to have been bottom of the Premier League" earlier in the season - but is he right?
From Nottingham Forest to Huddersfield, 19 clubs have finished bottom of the Premier League, some more often than once, Sunderland and Crystal Palace on three occasions each.
We looked at some of the contenders and also asked you to vote for which team you think is the best of the Premier League's bottom clubs - the result is below.
If you are viewing this page on the BBC News app please click here to vote.
Norwich 2019-20
Points Wins Goals Conceded Goal diff Points from safety 21 5 25 52 -27 6 *9 games remaining
'Star players': Teemu Pukki, Tim Krul, Todd Cantwell
Top scorer (all competitions): Teemu Pukki (11)
Loads of eye-catching passing, little in the way of results? If you've seen the Canaries play this season you'll no doubt agree.
"They're a brilliant team," said Sutton on 606 in February. external-link
"They are really good and they haven't lost confidence, they're playing with belief, they're bottom of the table. How many times have we seen Premier League teams do that? Norwich are the best ever team at the bottom of the table because of the courage and the way they play football and the belief."
All is certainly not lost for Norwich this season - should it resume. They are six points from safety with nine games left and already have more points than six 20th-placed sides collected in entire seasons.
Their 'entertaining' brand of football may be a bit misleading though - they rank 13th for best goals/game ratio for bottom placed sides, ninth for shots/game and seventh for shots on target/game.
However, they are the only bottom side since 2003-04 to have an average possession of over 50%, so if the season gets voided and they decide to rank teams on that they might be OK...
Nottingham Forest 1992-93
Points Wins Goals Conceded Goal diff Points from safety 40 10 41 62 -21 9
'Star players': Stuart Pearce, Nigel Clough, Roy Keane
Top scorer (all competitions): Nigel Clough (12)
Bottom of the league with 40 points? Well let's clear that up straight away. The first three seasons of the Premier League contained 22 teams so each side played 42 games, skewing Brian Clough's final season in charge of Forest somewhat.
So that may inflate their points and wins tally, but should be taken into account when looking at their defensive record as well.
Only three sides to finish bottom since have conceded fewer goals, even with playing four fewer games. Playing Roy Keane at centre-half may not have been as crazy as it sounds.
Forest won the first live game shown on Sky Sports - beating Liverpool - but were rarely out of the relegation zone all season.
Nottingham Forest 1996-97
Points Wins Goals Conceded Goal diff Points from safety 34 6 31 59 -28 7
'Star players': Stuart Pearce, Kevin Campbell, Ian Woan
Top scorer (all competitions): Kevin Campbell/Alf-Inge Haaland (6)
Forest again - who just drew too many games. Their points total of 34 is the highest recorded by a side finishing 20th since the Premier League went down to 20 sides in 1995.
The average - over the 24 full seasons played by a 20-team league - is 26. Forest 'only' lost 16 times this season, the fewest defeats recorded by a team to finish bottom.
For context, Norwich this season have already lost 18 times, while the record for defeats in a 38-game season is an eye-watering 29.
Not that it helped - 16 draws were the issue as they still ended up seven points shy of safety.
Again their defensive record was impressive for a struggling side but a lack of firepower was the problem that even the arrival of Pierre van Hooijdonk could not remedy.
Southampton 2004-05
Points Wins Goals Conceded Goal diff Points from safety 32 6 45 66 -21 2
'Star players': Peter Crouch, Kevin Phillips, Jamie Redknapp
Top scorer (all competitions): Peter Crouch (16)
The unluckiest team to finish bottom? Going into the final day of the 2004-05 season the Saints were 18th, a point from safety and even took the lead against Manchester United.
But a United fightback coupled with a win for West Brom sent Harry Redknapp's side tumbling down after 27 years in the top flight.
No side to finish bottom of a 20-team division can match their haul of 45 goals - 16 scored by Peter Crouch - while only Forest in 1993 have as good (still bad) a goal difference as -21.
They only lost four games more than Liverpool - who finished fifth and won the Champions League. And then signed Crouch...
West Bromwich Albion 2008-09
Points Wins Goals Conceded Goal diff Points from safety 32 8 36 67 -31 3
'Star players': Chris Brunt, Borja Valero, Robert Koren
Top scorer (all competitions): Chris Brunt (9)
Eight wins is the most any team has managed while finishing bottom of a 20-team Premier League. It has happened on four occasions - Bolton in 1995-96, Crystal Palace two years later, West Brom in 2008-09 and QPR in 2014-15.
We've picked this particular side as they were closest to staying up - finishing just three points behind Hull City and safety.
Under Tony Mowbray, Albion were usually a good side to watch too, having 14.71 shots on goal per game - a total only bettered by West Ham two years later.
Their average possession stat of 49.84% can only be bettered by this year's Norwich crop too…
West Ham United 2010-11
Points Wins Goals Conceded Goal diff Points from safety 33 7 43 70 -27 7
'Star players': Scott Parker, Demba Ba, Mark Noble
Top scorer (all competitions): Carlton Cole (11)
The ultimate example of a team not being the sum of its parts?
A squad containing Rob Green, Wayne Bridge, Kieron Dyer, Scott Parker, Mark Noble, Carlton Cole, Robbie Keane, Demba Ba and Thomas Hitzlsperger reached the semi-finals of the League Cup, with a manager - Avram Grant - who had been in the Champions League final three years earlier, but still spent just three weeks of the season outside the relegation zone.
Failing to turn draws into wins was costly - Wolves lost more games but stayed up.
Sure, they managed over 15 efforts on goal per game - with 4.58 of those on target every match, the most of any team to finish bottom - but Green was beaten on 70 occasions.
West Bromwich Albion 2017-18
Points Wins Goals Conceded Goal diff Points from safety 31 6 31 56 -25 5
'Star players': Ben Foster, Jay Rodriguez, Salomon Rondon
Top scorer (all competitions): Jay Rodriguez (11)
What do you get if you start with Tony Pulis, add some Gary Megson, sprinkle in some Alan Pardew and end up with Darren Moore?
Relegated, that's what. But relegated with the best defensive record in Premier League history. If there's ever a way to give yourself a pat on the back for shipping 56 goals, this is it.
The average for teams who finish bottom in the 20-team era is 69.7 so this West Brom side were on to something - it just wasn't staying up.
Thirty-one goals scored at the other end was their issue and a late revival under Moore of three wins in four was fruitless.


bbc--2020-04-20--'Sickeners, torture and tears' - Tony Bellew's column on SAS training

Tony Bellew conquered the cruiserweight division to become WBC world champion in a stellar career but in his latest BBC Sport column the retired boxer brings us up to date with an altogether different kind of battle .
Painful .
I have taken my smacks in a boxing ring but that is the only word I can use to describe my recent foray into SAS training .
As you may have read in the papers or have seen on social media , on Monday on Channel 4 you can see me join 11 other celebrities ( I never class myself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TV show 'SAS Who Dares Wins Celebrity ' .
For those who have not seen the show before , a team of former soldiers led by former Royal Marine Ant Middleton take a group through gruelling SAS selection training for over a week - though few make it that far .
Former footballer John Fashanu and The Only Way is Essex star Joey Essex are two of the celebrities in there with me at a base set in what felt like a punishing wilderness .
It was actually the island of Raasay , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You 'll have to watch the programme to see how far I got in the process .
What I can say is the whole thing is a torture and you find yourself looking in the mirror day after day , asking questions of yourself that you never thought you would .
The tasks you 're asked to undertake include running face-first down a cliff face when your body and mind tell you not to and being submerged in the ice cold sea until one of you quits - and if the water does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deadly drops you have to conquer might do .
Throw in what the military men label 'sickeners ' - where you think you 've conquered a challenge only to be told you have more to endure - and it 's brutal .
Honestly , what you see on television looks hard but when you are there , the challenges form part of a package that slowly debilitates you .
Your dormitory gets stormed in the middle of the night and you ca n't get a wink of sleep .
When I got home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around three weeks waking up sweating in the middle of the night and could feel myself looking for exit points in rooms at all times .
It was so intense and at one point emotions poured out of me when I was faced with a particular task which quite simply pushed me to my very limits .
Some painful memories came flooding back .
My motivation for going in there was that after I retired from boxing , and with my ambitions ticked off by the age of 36 , life immediately after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always admired the men and women in the military so when I got the call I thought it sounded perfect .
Then the apprehension set in .
I just did n't want to go on and embarrass myself like some old has-been .
The night before , I was going to pull out .
I 'd be living off rations , deprived of sleep and I just thought I 'm bound to go in there and be instantly perceived as a tough-guy boxer who should thrive in this environment when actually I 'm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ life .
Another boxer pulled out close to last year 's show but as I 'd given my word , in I went .
I half expected there to be some kind of plush secret rooms for celebrities away from the cameras but I ended up sleeping for over a week in the same clothes .
To put it mildly , I absolutely stank .
I 'm a fussy eater so food was a problem .
The best thing I had to eat in there was a rabbit , which we were shown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I put this column together I am about to eat fish and chips .
It is safe to say I appreciate such treats a little bit more now .
But the military men tell you everything you go through in SAS selection is for a reason .
The limited food , the lack of sleep - it 's all for a purpose .
When you 're woken at 2am to stand outside for a horrible physical 'beasting ' , it is not because they want to see how long you can hold a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shatter you , wipe you out and break you either there and then or during the next day 's task .
I was just looking in the mirror and and thinking I just ca n't let them beat me , even if my toe nail is hanging off .
I have always had certain trust issues , so when you 're lumped into an environment like that with strangers and you have to rely on one another , it is tough .
I built rafts , constructed huts and faced the elements head @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took so much from it .
I learned how unimportant a mobile phone is and when I got back home I ended up turning mine off for days .
Above all else , it brought home the importance of family .
That is something none of us need reminding about given the current times we are living in .
Ultimately , the most important thing we all have is within the four walls of our homes .
Trying to do right by your family is no easy task but being in situations where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be the best version of you when you 're with them .
Hopefully you and your family can watch and share a few laughs while seeing me suffer over the coming weeks .
It was without doubt one of the toughest - and best - experiences of my life .

Tony Bellew conquered the cruiserweight division to become WBC world champion in a stellar career but in his latest BBC Sport column the retired boxer brings us up to date with an altogether different kind of battle.
Painful. I have taken my smacks in a boxing ring but that is the only word I can use to describe my recent foray into SAS training.
As you may have read in the papers or have seen on social media, on Monday on Channel 4 you can see me join 11 other celebrities (I never class myself as a celebrity) on the hit TV show 'SAS Who Dares Wins Celebrity'.
For those who have not seen the show before, a team of former soldiers led by former Royal Marine Ant Middleton take a group through gruelling SAS selection training for over a week - though few make it that far.
Former footballer John Fashanu and The Only Way is Essex star Joey Essex are two of the celebrities in there with me at a base set in what felt like a punishing wilderness. It was actually the island of Raasay, just off the coast of Scotland.
You'll have to watch the programme to see how far I got in the process. What I can say is the whole thing is a torture and you find yourself looking in the mirror day after day, asking questions of yourself that you never thought you would.
The tasks you're asked to undertake include running face-first down a cliff face when your body and mind tell you not to and being submerged in the ice cold sea until one of you quits - and if the water doesn't break you, the heights and deadly drops you have to conquer might do.
Throw in what the military men label 'sickeners' - where you think you've conquered a challenge only to be told you have more to endure - and it's brutal. Honestly, what you see on television looks hard but when you are there, the challenges form part of a package that slowly debilitates you.
Your dormitory gets stormed in the middle of the night and you can't get a wink of sleep. When I got home I felt the after-effects as I spent around three weeks waking up sweating in the middle of the night and could feel myself looking for exit points in rooms at all times.
Bellew took orders from show host and former Royal Marine Ant Middleton (right)
It was so intense and at one point emotions poured out of me when I was faced with a particular task which quite simply pushed me to my very limits. Some painful memories came flooding back.
My motivation for going in there was that after I retired from boxing, and with my ambitions ticked off by the age of 36, life immediately after retirement felt pretty hard.
I have always admired the men and women in the military so when I got the call I thought it sounded perfect. Then the apprehension set in. I just didn't want to go on and embarrass myself like some old has-been.
The night before, I was going to pull out. I'd be living off rations, deprived of sleep and I just thought I'm bound to go in there and be instantly perceived as a tough-guy boxer who should thrive in this environment when actually I'm not that type of person in day-to-day life.
Another boxer pulled out close to last year's show but as I'd given my word, in I went. I half expected there to be some kind of plush secret rooms for celebrities away from the cameras but I ended up sleeping for over a week in the same clothes. To put it mildly, I absolutely stank.
I'm a fussy eater so food was a problem. The best thing I had to eat in there was a rabbit, which we were shown how to skin and cook. As I put this column together I am about to eat fish and chips. It is safe to say I appreciate such treats a little bit more now.
But the military men tell you everything you go through in SAS selection is for a reason. The limited food, the lack of sleep - it's all for a purpose. When you're woken at 2am to stand outside for a horrible physical 'beasting', it is not because they want to see how long you can hold a weight up for, it is to shatter you, wipe you out and break you either there and then or during the next day's task.
I was just looking in the mirror and and thinking I just can't let them beat me, even if my toe nail is hanging off.
Bellew (right) is joined by the likes of television presenter Anthea Turner and dancer Brendan Cole on the show
I have always had certain trust issues, so when you're lumped into an environment like that with strangers and you have to rely on one another, it is tough.
I built rafts, constructed huts and faced the elements head on but on a deeper level I took so much from it.
I learned how unimportant a mobile phone is and when I got back home I ended up turning mine off for days.
Above all else, it brought home the importance of family. That is something none of us need reminding about given the current times we are living in. Ultimately, the most important thing we all have is within the four walls of our homes.
Trying to do right by your family is no easy task but being in situations where you miss them badly makes you want to be the best version of you when you're with them.
Hopefully you and your family can watch and share a few laughs while seeing me suffer over the coming weeks. It was without doubt one of the toughest - and best - experiences of my life.


bbc--2020-04-20--The times teams were denied glory by unexpected events

Liverpool are almost there , a maximum of two wins away from a first top-flight title in 30 years .
Manager Jurgen Klopp guided the Reds to Champions League glory last season - the club 's sixth European Cup triumph - but ending the long wait for domestic success would arguably trump that achievement .
However , with football suspended because of coronavirus , it remains a possibility that Liverpool could be denied the reward their astonishing season deserves .
The authorities - and the clubs themselves - remain determined to complete the campaign .
But if the Premier League @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe path forward , Liverpool 2019-20 could join a group of teams denied their crowning glory , all of whom were left wondering 'what if ? '
.
• Predict how the table will look if season finishes Everton 1984-87 - the European champions that never were ?
In the mid-1980s the emerging team from Merseyside was Everton .
Howard Kendall 's young side raced to the 1984-85 league title with 90 points , 13 clear of Liverpool .
They added the European Cup Winners ' Cup in Rotterdam , defeating Bayern Munich @ @ @ @ @ @ @ treble by a Norman Whiteside wonder-goal in the FA Cup final .
That summer Kendall added Gary Lineker to his champions for an assault on the European Cup .
But the Toffees ' European Cup hopes would be over before they began .
Less than 100 miles and a fortnight away from their Rotterdam triumph , 39 people died and 600 were injured when fans were crushed against a wall that then collapsed during the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus , after crowd trouble culminated in a surge by Liverpool supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The incident led to English clubs being banned from European football for five years .
Everton were pipped to the league on the final day in 1986 before regaining the title in 1987 , both seasons finishing on 86 points .
In that period Steaua Bucharest , FC Porto and PSV Eindhoven won the European Cup , so what might have been , particularly in 1985-86 ?
England 's representatives had been pre-eminent in the European Cup for nearly 10 years , and having climbed to the top of English football , Everton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their line-up started England 's World Cup quarter-final defeat by Diego Maradona 's Argentina in 1986 , including the Golden Boot-winning Lineker .
Lineker , who went to Barcelona and played in England 's 1990 semi-final loss to Germany , has described this Everton side as the best he ever played in .
Dejan Savicevic , Dragan Stojkovic , Robert Prosinecki , with Davor Suker , Predrag Mijatovic and Zvonimir Boban coming through - early 1990s Yugoslavia is perhaps the most tantalising 'what might have been ? '
in modern football .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ sides of the 1990s had Balkan players .
Winners of the World Youth Championship in 1987 , Yugoslavia reached the quarter-finals at Italia 90 .
But two years later United Nations sanctions denied Yugoslavia their place at the Euros as civil war broke out .
Straining relations between the six republics joined under the banner of Yugoslavia eventually broke into ethnic conflicts .
During the exclusion period , both Euro 92 and World Cup 94 were competitions missing a truly great side .
Famously , last-minute call-ups Denmark won against all odds in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1994 World Cup which could have seen this group victorious .
In the 1994 Champions League final Savicevic , alongside Boban in a great AC Milan side , orchestrated the dismantling of Johan Cruyff 's Barcelona .
Two months later Bulgaria reached the World Cup semi-finals on the back of Hristo Stoichkov , with winners Brazil reliant on Romario 's goals .
Although the final was a heavyweight affair between Brazil and Italy , many of the regular big-hitters had failed to qualify or underperformed once there .
There are too many unknowns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but it would have been a lot of fun to watch this group trying to win the World Cup .
Separate Balkan national teams re-emerged in Euro 96 qualifiers , players now spread through five countries .
France 98 saw Croatia finish third , and FR Yugoslavia reach the last 16 .
On 1 February 2012 , a massive riot followed the Egyptian league match between Al Masry and Al Ahly at Port Said Stadium .
Following the investigations and aftermath of the riot , the government shut down the national league @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by many Egyptian clubs at the time , the government felt unable to secure safe venues to resume play .
At the time of suspension , Haras El Hodood were sitting on top of the league , ahead of African Champions League holders Al Ahly by a point and with a game in hand .
The team from Alexandria were surprise leaders having been no better than upper mid-table in previous years in a league dominated by Cairo 's giants .
Al Ahly had won the seven previous titles and on the resumption @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 37th time .
Egypt 's instabilities meant that professional football was not played until 2013-14 , and for Haras El Hodood it was a return to the chasing pack .
There are not too many examples around the world of a league being suspended and unable to return , and fewer again where no championship or relegations are conferred on sides at the time of suspension .
This is one of them - will there be another soon ?
Barcelona 2009-2011 - hopes of first Champions League treble hit by intervention from above @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the summer of 2008 , his side adhered to Cruyff 's Total Football philosophy , with Lionel Messi , Andres Iniesta and Xavi leading a thrilling side .
Over the next three seasons , Barcelona won a hat-trick of leagues and two Champions Leagues .
But for a freak occurrence , Barcelona may have secured a coveted hat-trick of European Cups , and ranked alongside Cruyff 's Ajax team of 1971-73 .
In the spring of 2010 a volcano in Iceland brought Europe to a standstill .
It erupted and plumes of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ causing severe travel disruption .
Barcelona had to resort to a two-day bus trip to their semi-final with Inter Milan .
Even veterans of the Aberdeen-London Megabus route would struggle with the 650-mile drive across southern Europe , and most would agree it is not ideal preparation to play a game of football .
Inter won their home leg 3-1 , enough to see them through to the final where they beat Bayern Munich .
What if Barcelona had been able to prepare for the tie normally ?
They had won and drawn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the competition and showed little sign of dropping their standards .
On this occasion help literally fell out of the sky for Inter .
Regaining the Champions League the year after , comfortably beating Manchester United for the second time in three years , was the closing act of this Barcelona side .
An enthralling unit denied their European Cup hat-trick and ultimately unable to match their forebears at Ajax .
It also prevented them becoming the first team to win the trophy in three consecutive seasons in the Champions League era @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's bitter rivals Real Madrid .

Last updated on .From the section Football
Liverpool won he Champions League in Madrid last season but the domestic title has proved more elusive than European success in recent years
Liverpool are almost there, a maximum of two wins away from a first top-flight title in 30 years.
Manager Jurgen Klopp guided the Reds to Champions League glory last season - the club's sixth European Cup triumph - but ending the long wait for domestic success would arguably trump that achievement.
However, with football suspended because of coronavirus, it remains a possibility that Liverpool could be denied the reward their astonishing season deserves.
The authorities - and the clubs themselves - remain determined to complete the campaign. But if the Premier League and government are unable to find a safe path forward, Liverpool 2019-20 could join a group of teams denied their crowning glory, all of whom were left wondering 'what if?'.
Everton 1984-87 - the European champions that never were?
Gary Lineker scored in the 1986 FA Cup final for Everton - a game they lost to Liverpool
In the mid-1980s the emerging team from Merseyside was Everton. Howard Kendall's young side raced to the 1984-85 league title with 90 points, 13 clear of Liverpool.
They added the European Cup Winners' Cup in Rotterdam, defeating Bayern Munich en route and were only denied a treble by a Norman Whiteside wonder-goal in the FA Cup final. That summer Kendall added Gary Lineker to his champions for an assault on the European Cup.
But the Toffees' European Cup hopes would be over before they began.
Less than 100 miles and a fortnight away from their Rotterdam triumph, 39 people died and 600 were injured when fans were crushed against a wall that then collapsed during the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus, after crowd trouble culminated in a surge by Liverpool supporters towards the Italian team's fans.
The incident led to English clubs being banned from European football for five years.
Everton were pipped to the league on the final day in 1986 before regaining the title in 1987, both seasons finishing on 86 points.
In that period Steaua Bucharest, FC Porto and PSV Eindhoven won the European Cup, so what might have been, particularly in 1985-86?
England's representatives had been pre-eminent in the European Cup for nearly 10 years, and having climbed to the top of English football, Everton were formidable opponents for anyone.
How English clubs dominated in Europe before ban Season European Cup winner 1976-77 Liverpool 1977-78 Liverpool 1978-79 Nottingham Forest 1979-80 Nottingham Forest 1980-81 Liverpool 1981-82 Aston Villa 1982-83 Hamburg 1983-84 Liverpool 1984-85 Juventus
Four of their line-up started England's World Cup quarter-final defeat by Diego Maradona's Argentina in 1986, including the Golden Boot-winning Lineker. Lineker, who went to Barcelona and played in England's 1990 semi-final loss to Germany, has described this Everton side as the best he ever played in.
Yugoslavia 1987-1992 and beyond - sanctions prevent World Cup chance
Yugoslavia reached the quarter-finals of the 1990 World Cup, where they were knocked out on penalties by eventual finalists Argentina
Dejan Savicevic, Dragan Stojkovic, Robert Prosinecki, with Davor Suker, Predrag Mijatovic and Zvonimir Boban coming through - early 1990s Yugoslavia is perhaps the most tantalising 'what might have been?' in modern football.
Many of European club football's top sides of the 1990s had Balkan players.
Winners of the World Youth Championship in 1987, Yugoslavia reached the quarter-finals at Italia 90. But two years later United Nations sanctions denied Yugoslavia their place at the Euros as civil war broke out.
Straining relations between the six republics joined under the banner of Yugoslavia eventually broke into ethnic conflicts.
During the exclusion period, both Euro 92 and World Cup 94 were competitions missing a truly great side.
Famously, last-minute call-ups Denmark won against all odds in 1992.
However, it is the 1994 World Cup which could have seen this group victorious.
In the 1994 Champions League final Savicevic, alongside Boban in a great AC Milan side, orchestrated the dismantling of Johan Cruyff's Barcelona.
Two months later Bulgaria reached the World Cup semi-finals on the back of Hristo Stoichkov, with winners Brazil reliant on Romario's goals. Although the final was a heavyweight affair between Brazil and Italy, many of the regular big-hitters had failed to qualify or underperformed once there.
There are too many unknowns to say how Yugoslavia would have fared, but it would have been a lot of fun to watch this group trying to win the World Cup.
Separate Balkan national teams re-emerged in Euro 96 qualifiers, players now spread through five countries. France 98 saw Croatia finish third, and FR Yugoslavia reach the last 16.
Haras El Hodood 2012 - riot ends rare shot at glory
On 1 February 2012, a massive riot followed the Egyptian league match between Al Masry and Al Ahly at Port Said Stadium.
Following the investigations and aftermath of the riot, the government shut down the national league. Despite the huge financial risks faced by many Egyptian clubs at the time, the government felt unable to secure safe venues to resume play.
At the time of suspension, Haras El Hodood were sitting on top of the league, ahead of African Champions League holders Al Ahly by a point and with a game in hand. The team from Alexandria were surprise leaders having been no better than upper mid-table in previous years in a league dominated by Cairo's giants.
Al Ahly had won the seven previous titles and on the resumption of football won the league for the 37th time. Egypt's instabilities meant that professional football was not played until 2013-14, and for Haras El Hodood it was a return to the chasing pack.
There are not too many examples around the world of a league being suspended and unable to return, and fewer again where no championship or relegations are conferred on sides at the time of suspension.
This is one of them - will there be another soon?
Barcelona 2009-2011 - hopes of first Champions League treble hit by intervention from above
Pep Guardiola won 14 trophies in four years as Barcelona manager
When Pep Guardiola took charge of Barcelona in the summer of 2008, his side adhered to Cruyff's Total Football philosophy, with Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi leading a thrilling side.
Over the next three seasons, Barcelona won a hat-trick of leagues and two Champions Leagues. But for a freak occurrence, Barcelona may have secured a coveted hat-trick of European Cups, and ranked alongside Cruyff's Ajax team of 1971-73.
In the spring of 2010 a volcano in Iceland brought Europe to a standstill. It erupted and plumes of volcanic ash hung over the continent, causing severe travel disruption.
Barcelona had to resort to a two-day bus trip to their semi-final with Inter Milan. Even veterans of the Aberdeen-London Megabus route would struggle with the 650-mile drive across southern Europe, and most would agree it is not ideal preparation to play a game of football.
Inter won their home leg 3-1, enough to see them through to the final where they beat Bayern Munich. What if Barcelona had been able to prepare for the tie normally? They had won and drawn against Inter in the group stages earlier in the competition and showed little sign of dropping their standards. On this occasion help literally fell out of the sky for Inter.
Regaining the Champions League the year after, comfortably beating Manchester United for the second time in three years, was the closing act of this Barcelona side. An enthralling unit denied their European Cup hat-trick and ultimately unable to match their forebears at Ajax.
It also prevented them becoming the first team to win the trophy in three consecutive seasons in the Champions League era - a feat subsequently achieved by Barcelona's bitter rivals Real Madrid.


bbc--2020-04-20--BBC Sport's five things to do today

BBC Sport's five things to do today

Liverpool were within touching distance of the title before the Premier League season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ chance to be crowned champions ?
We look back at when teams have been denied @ @ @ @ @ Watford captain Troy Deeney tells MOTDx 's Josh Denzel how Liverpool 's Jordan Henderson and @ @ @ @ @ force behind the # PlayersTogether initiative to help the NHS tackle the coronavirus pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ learn some MMA moves Bellator fighter Leah McCourt and daughter Isabella demonstrate five exercises that @ @ @ @ @ fit in this MMA workout session .
Listen to Replay on BBC Sounds as Briton @ @ @ @ @ 1977 , beating the Netherlands ' Betty Stove in three sets .
5 .
In @ @ @ @ @ you missed BBC Sport 's weekly Quarantine Quiz on Saturday night , fear not , @ @ @ @ @ here .
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Last updated on .From the section Sport
1. Tales of the unexpected
Liverpool were within touching distance of the title before the Premier League season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. Will they get their chance to be crowned champions?
We look back at when teams have been denied glory by unexpected events.
2. Praise for #PlayersTogether
Watford captain Troy Deeney tells MOTDx's Josh Denzel how Liverpool's Jordan Henderson and James Milner were the driving force behind the #PlayersTogether initiative to help the NHS tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
Troy Deeney salutes Jordan Henderson & James Milner for #PlayersTogether
3. Keep fit and learn some MMA moves
Bellator fighter Leah McCourt and daughter Isabella demonstrate five exercises that'll keep you sharp and fit in this MMA workout session.
Train like an MMA fighter with Leah McCourt
4. Relive moment Wade wins Wimbledon
Listen to Replay on BBC Sounds as Briton Virginia Wade wins Wimbledon in 1977, beating the Netherlands' Betty Stove in three sets.
5. In case you missed it
If you missed BBC Sport's weekly Quarantine Quiz on Saturday night, fear not, you can still play along here.
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bbc--2020-04-20--Coronavirus pandemic: Tracking the global outbreak

Coronavirus has been spreading rapidly around the world , with more than 2.4 million cases now confirmed in 185 countries .
At least 165,000 people have died .
The United States has seen more than three times as many confirmed cases as any other country .
This series of maps and charts tracks the global outbreak of the virus since it emerged in China in December last year .
How many deaths have there been ?
The virus , which causes the respiratory infection Covid-19 , was first detected in the city of Wuhan , China , in late 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries and the death toll is still climbing .
The US has by far the largest number of cases , with more than 759,000 confirmed infections , according to figures collated by Johns Hopkins University .
This is more than nine times the number reported by China .
The US also has the world 's highest death toll with more than 40,000 fatalities including more than 14,000 in New York City alone .
Spain and Italy - the worst hit European countries - have each recorded more than 20,000 deaths , while France @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 19,000 and 16,000 respectively .
In Latin America , Ecuador 's official coronavirus death toll is 474 .
But the government says 6,700 people died in Guayas province alone in the first two weeks of April , far more than the usual 1,000 deaths there in the same period .
Guayas is home to Guayaquil - the nation 's largest city .
And in Japan , where the number of confirmed cases has hit 10,000 , health workers have warned that hospitals risk being overwhelmed , amid reports that some are turning sick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toll from the outbreak is just over 4,600 from some 83,800 confirmed cases .
Numbers for deaths jumped on Friday after what officials called `` a statistical review '' .
Critics of the Chinese government have questioned whether the country 's official numbers can be trusted .
China has now lifted many of the stringent measures it took to bring the disease under control , including a ban on all travel to and from Wuhan .
The outbreak was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization ( WHO ) on 11 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disease is passing easily from person to person in many parts of the world at the same time .
The WHO said it took more than three months to reach the first 100,000 confirmed cases worldwide , but it took less than a week for the number to double from 500,000 to a million .
It then took two weeks to top two million .
While more than 2.4 million people are known to have been infected worldwide , the true figure is thought to be much higher as many of those with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ counted .
Governments across the world have halted flights , locked down towns and cities and urged people to stay at home .
More than 4.5 billion people - half the world 's population - are estimated to be now living under social distancing measures to slow the pandemic , according to the AFP news agency .
The global economy faces the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s , the International Monetary Fund has said .
• A SIMPLE GUIDE : What are the symptoms ?
• STRESS : How @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of infection rates appears to show the success of social distancing , Italy and Spain remain the worst affected countries after the US .
Spain has more than 200,000 confirmed cases - the second highest global figure - while Italy has the second highest death toll of more than 23,000 .
Both countries have been in lockdown since early March , however some quarantine measures are starting to be relaxed .
Spanish children , who have been kept indoors at home since 14 March , are expected to be allowed outside on 27 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been more than 121,000 confirmed cases and more than 16,000 deaths .
Like Spain , deaths in the UK grew rapidly at first , doubling faster than every two days .
That rate of increase has now slowed , but on Thursday the government said that lockdown restrictions would not be lifted for at least another three weeks .
Germany 's health minister Jens Spahn says the country 's month-long lockdown has brought the outbreak there under control - although the number of deaths is still rising .
The German government is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and bicycle shops to open their doors , as long as they apply social distancing measures .
The German government has warned that its economy - Europe 's largest - could contract by almost 10 % as a result of the crisis .
In the Czech Republic , farmers ' markets , car dealerships and some other small businesses have now re-opened .
Other countries such as Denmark have begun opening up schools for under-11s .
New York is epicentre of US outbreak With more than 759,000 cases , the US has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world .
The number of deaths now stands at more than 40,000 .
The state of New York has more confirmed cases than anywhere else in the world , and there have been more than 14,000 deaths in New York City alone .
Despite these grim statistics , New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo says cases are starting to level off as the effect of social-distancing measures begins to be seen .
On Saturday President Trump announced that state governors have been given three-phase plans to allow a gradual easing of lockdowns .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans want to be open , '' Mr Trump said .
`` A national shutdown is not a sustainable long-term solution . ''
The outbreak is having a major economic impact , with figures showing the number of people making a new claim for unemployment benefits surging to a record high .
On Thursday , the US government said that it had received 20 million claims for unemployment benefits over the preceding four weeks .
• A visual guide to the economic impact of coronavirus Much of the planet is on lockdown Strict @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the outbreak took hold .
From Argentina to New Zealand and from Saudi Arabia to South Africa , cities were shut down , restricting how often people could leave their homes and for what reason .
India told the country 's 1.3 billion residents to stay at home .
In Paris , authorities banned exercise during the day to reduce the number of people out on the streets .
Singapore , where authorities were initially praised for containing the virus , has also now imposed a `` semi-lockdown '' as it faces a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and tightly-packed worker dormitories .
Data on planned journeys in major cities , from the travel app Citymapper , shows how people in places like London , Madrid , Istanbul and New York are now moving around far less than they were a few weeks ago .
The data shows that while Milan in northern Italy has been locked down for several weeks , many other cities have been restricting movement for a much shorter period .
While movement is also down in the South Korean capital Seoul , the city has n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , despite facing huge numbers of coronavirus cases .
This is perhaps an indication of the country 's decision to focus on testing and contact tracing , rather than imposing a lockdown .
In Sweden , the government has so far avoided strict measures , issuing guidelines rather than rules .
And Stockholm 's chart shows people are taking the advice - with passenger numbers on subway and commuter trains far below normal levels .

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This information is regularly updated but may not reflect the latest totals for each country.
** The past data for new cases is a three day rolling average. Due to revisions in the number of cases, an average cannot be calculated for this date.
Source: Johns Hopkins University and national public health agencies


bbc--2020-04-20--Coronavirus: Here's how you can stop bad information from going viral

Coronavirus : Here 's how you can stop bad information from going viral A UK parliamentary sub-committee is asking members of the public to submit examples .
The committee has particularly requested submissions of disinformation spread in private groups and closed apps such as WhatsApp .
Meanwhile , experts are calling on the public to practise `` information hygiene '' .
So what can you do to stop the spread of bad information online ?
You want to help family and friends and keep them in the loop .
So when you receive fresh advice - whether by email , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ might quickly forward it on to them .
But experts say the number one thing you can do to halt misinformation is to simply stop and think .
If you have any doubts , pause , and check it out further .
Before you forward it on , ask some basic questions about where the information comes from .
It 's a big red flag if the source is `` a friend of a friend '' or `` my aunt 's colleague 's neighbour '' .
We recently tracked how a misleading post @ @ @ @ @ @ @ master 's degree '' went viral .
Some of the details in the post were accurate - some versions , for example , encouraged hand washing to slow the spread of the virus .
But other details were potentially harmful , making unproven claims about how to diagnose the illness .
`` The most reliable sources of information remain public health bodies like the NHS , the World Health Organisation , or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA . ''
says Claire Milne , deputy editor of UK-based fact-checking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infallible .
But they are much more reliable than a stranger 's distant relative on WhatsApp .
• Who do you trust for health advice ?
3 .
Could it be a fake ?
It is possible to impersonate official accounts and authorities , including BBC News and the government .
Screenshots can also be changed to make it look like information has come from a trusted public body .
Check known and verified accounts and websites .
If you ca n't easily find the information , it might be a hoax .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a link looks fishy - it probably is .
Capital letters and mismatched fonts are something fact-checkers use as an indicator a post might be misleading , according to Claire Milne from Full Fact .
Do n't forward things on `` just in case '' they might be true .
You might be doing more harm than good .
Often we post things into places where we know there are experts - like doctors or medical professionals .
That might be OK , but make sure you 're very clear about your doubts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ text you share might later be stripped of its context .
There 's a voice note that has been circulating on WhatsApp .
The person speaking in the note says she 's translating advice from a `` colleague who has a friend '' working at a hospital .
It 's been sent to the BBC by dozens of people around the world .
But it 's a mix of accurate and inaccurate advice .
When you get sent long lists of advice , it 's easy to believe everything in them just because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the tips ( say , about hand washing ) is true .
But that 's not always the case .
• What misinformation has spread in Africa ?
It 's the stuff that gets us fearful , angry , anxious , or joyful that tends to really go viral .
`` Fear is one of the biggest drivers that allows misinformation to thrive , '' says Claire Wardle of First Draft , an organisation that helps journalists tackle online misinformation .
Urgent calls for action are designed to ramp up anxiety - so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help their loved ones stay safe , so when they see 'Tips for preventing the virus ! '
or 'Take this health supplement ! '
people want to do whatever they can to help , '' she says .
Are you sharing something because you know it 's true - or just because you agree with it ?
Carl Miller , research director of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at think tank Demos , says we 're more likely to share posts that reinforce our existing beliefs .
`` It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head that we 're most vulnerable , '' he says .
`` That 's when , above everything else , we just need to slow down everything that we do online . ''
Have you seen misleading information - or something you have doubts about ?
Email us .
Follow BBC Trending on Twitter @ BBCtrending , find us on Facebook or subscribe to the BBC Trending podcast .
All our stories are at bbc.com/trending .

Often we post things into places where we know there are experts - like doctors or medical professionals. That might be OK, but make sure you're very clear about your doubts. And beware - that photo or text you share might later be stripped of its context.


bbc--2020-04-18--Oklahoma City bombing: The day domestic terror shook America

On this day 25 years ago , a US army veteran parked a rental truck packed full of explosives outside a federal office building in Oklahoma City and fled the scene , detonating his bomb just as the work day was starting .
The attack , motivated by anti-government extremist beliefs , killed 168 people and left hundreds more injured .
At the time , it was the deadliest terror attack the US had ever seen .
It remains the worst committed by an American on US soil .
This is the story of 19 April 1995 , told through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
You may find some of the details in this story upsetting It was a beautiful spring morning in America 's heartland .
Kevin McCullough , an Oklahoma police officer and medical technician , was on his way to spend his day off speaking to a group of children at a local church .
Robin Marsh , a local television reporter , was in a planning meeting for the day ahead .
Firefighter Chris Fields and his colleagues were going to spend their Wednesday catching up on maintenance jobs around the station .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 24-hour shift and were about to get themselves some breakfast .
Aren Almon did n't work in the Alfred P Murrah building herself , but lived nearby .
The office block , made up of nine floors of reinforced concrete , was a hub of government offices .
On any given day more than 500 workers would be inside .
The building also had a day-care centre , America 's Kids , on its second floor .
On the morning of 19 April 1995 Aren dropped off her daughter there before heading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Baylee had celebrated her first birthday the day before .
For Ruth Schwab , the school run had gone smoother than normal .
The mother of five got to her job at the Department for Housing and Urban Development earlier than normal that day , just before 09:00 .
She had just sat down at her desk and was reaching to turn on her computer when the bomb exploded .
It was the loudest noise she had heard in her life .
Thousands of pounds of fertiliser and fuel had ignited , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the building 's nine levels .
The blast was so strong that it completely tore away the building 's north side .
Floors within the crater became a tangled concrete heap .
Cars parked nearby were engulfed in flames , sending thick black smoke into the city 's air .
The last thing Ruth remembers is feeling like she was tumbling down and down into a black hole .
For miles around , Oklahomans felt their floors tremble .
The fire station 's windows rattled .
Kevin McCullough 's ambulance shook .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oklahoma City would never be the same again .
Chris Fields and the rest of Station 5 ran outside when they heard the blast .
Seeing the smoke so close , they knew they 'd be asked to help .
They jumped in their engines and sped downtown , stopping along the way to help people injured by flying glass and debris .
`` I probably did n't stand there long , but I felt like I was watching everything in slow motion , '' Chris says of his memories of arriving at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still falling down from the sky and seeing that building in the shape it was - even to this day - it 's a daunting image . ''
Urgent calls went in to all first responders .
Kevin McCullough turned his ambulance around and raced the few miles to the Murrah building .
After parking up , he was confronted with the overwhelming and unmistakable smell of nitrates in the air .
The bomb had made downtown Oklahoma City smell like a gun range .
`` It was a chaotic site .
People @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some were standing dumbstruck - unable to comprehend what had just happened .
Others had made their own way out of the destruction , covered in blood and dust .
When Ruth Schwab woke up , she was on her office floor .
She 'd been facing the direction where the bomb went off and her face had taken the brunt of her injuries .
`` I could smell smoke and I was hearing faint cries and moans , '' she remembers .
`` When you 're blinded and ca n't see anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help anybody . ''
She called out to ask if anyone was there .
A friend answered back and warned her not to move .
Ruth could n't see but she was surrounded by debris and was only feet from where the eighth floor had collapsed beneath them .
Her friend helped her up , sat her down and in a kind gesture , gave her a handkerchief .
`` It was so sweet because that 's the kind of gentleman he was , '' she says .
`` But I had to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the handkerchief really , really did n't do any good . ''
It took just minutes for local news to start covering the attack .
KWTV News 9 , the CBS affiliate where Robin Marsh worked , was the first .
The network 's staff had felt their building shake 10 miles away so they quickly re-routed a news helicopter that had been on the way to another story .
The footage it captured , as it slowly circled the building , sent shockwaves .
A giant horse-shoe shaped hole had been gouged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ network immediately dispatched all available reporters to the scene .
Like others around the city , Aren had felt the blast miles away .
It seemed like thunder , but the Oklahoma City sky was bright blue .
Could it have been a demolition ?
There was always building work going on downtown .
When colleagues said it was an explosion , Aren went to find a television in the break room and saw the helicopter footage .
The building where she 'd left her daughter was in ruins .
Aren called her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close as they could get .
When they reached the building , Aren and her family found a scene of chaos .
Downtown Oklahoma City looked like a war zone .
Scores of buildings had been damaged by the blast .
`` I remember walking to the front of the building and seeing everybody walk around with blood everywhere , '' Aren says .
`` I was surprised anybody came out of there alive . ''
No-one had the answers they needed .
So they headed to local hospitals to try and find @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a half after the explosion , a message came over Chris Fields 's radio to evacuate .
They thought they 'd found another bomb .
`` I think that 's when everyone looked at each other like : 'What do you mean another explosive device ? '
'' he recalls .
`` We did n't know it was an explosive device to begin with . ''
Most had assumed this was a natural gas leak or an accident .
No one dared to imagine this could have been done intentionally .
This was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this was Oklahoma City , a Bible-belt city of only 450,000 people .
The news of the bomb scare sent people running from the scene .
Among them was reporter Robin Marsh , who was broadcasting live when an official ran toward her telling her to evacuate .
`` You 're trying to stay composed but I 'm thinking , ' I need to pitch back to my anchors and get out of here .
We 've got to move further away ' , '' she remembers .
As the chaos unfolded , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of information .
They told people who to call and where to go for help .
But in a place like Oklahoma City , the tragedy hit close to home .
Some of those reporting , including Robin , knew and lost people inside that day .
By 10:30 , Ruth Schwab had arrived at the hospital .
She had tried walking out the building at first , but with the stairs thick with debris she was eventually passed to a rescuer and carried out .
Ruth was still blinded and doctors knew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her eyes .
It was n't until the second scare that Kevin McCullouch moved around the building and saw where all the injured people had been pouring from .
He 'd been on murder calls and traffic accidents before but had never seen devastation like this .
The main job for firefighters was search and rescue .
`` You try and be prepared for everything but at that point we were n't prepared for something of this magnitude , '' Chris Fields says .
At one point , as he walked around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ front of him with a critical infant in his arms .
Trained in first aid , Chris offered to take her .
He cleared her throat , which was blocked with concrete or insulation dust debris , to try and open her airway .
But with what appeared to be a skull fracture too , there was no sign of life .
Chris carried the baby 's tiny frame to an ambulance .
The paramedic looked at Chris : his vehicle was already full .
There were already people on its floor and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be transported .
`` And I remember him telling me : 'Let me get a blanket because we 're not going to put that baby on the ground ' , '' Chris recalls .
The firefighter held and looked down at her as he waited .
Chris had a son close to her age and his thoughts immediately went to her family : `` I was just looking at her thinking : 'Somebody 's world is getting ready to be turned upside down today ' . ''
He would not realise it for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that exact moment .
The image of an Oklahoma City firefighter cradling a lifeless baby , covered in dust and blood , became the most famous of the day .
The image , which we have chosen not to reprint , conveyed both the cruelty of the day and the city 's loss of innocence .
But for Aren Almon , the loss was more than symbolic .
Chris had been holding her daughter .
Throughout the morning , she and her parents had bounced between hospitals trying to get information .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the corner with a priest that Aren 's worst fears were realised .
As a single mother , her life had revolved around her daughter .
`` I was 22 , I still had my grandparents .
Nobody in my family had ever died , '' she says .
Reports spread throughout Wednesday that the bomb could have been linked to international terrorism .
But for Aren , details on who was responsible did n't matter at that point .
`` I was just consumed with the fact that I woke up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was going to bed without one , '' she says .
As the day wore on , journalist Robin Marsh had ended up in a church with families still searching for loved ones .
She got home at about 02:00 after a gruelling 18-hour day covering events .
`` I remember I just got into that shower and I just cried my eyes out , '' she recalls .
While Kevin McCullough continued to work at the bomb site throughout the day , trying to help victims , he had no idea that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in labour .
His fourth and youngest child , Jordan , was born early in the afternoon .
`` Typically when a new parent is spending time with their baby , you know all the joys that come with that .
But I was down at the bombing site helping others deal with the loss , '' he says , his voice breaking .
`` That made it , I think , even more difficult in interaction with the people , with the parents , that has lost children down there that day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toll had climbed into the dozens , with hundreds more injured and missing .
The last person to survive was a 15-year-old girl pulled from the rubble that night .
In the days after , the number confirmed dead only grew .
As news of the attack spread , the images of Baylee and Chris spread around the world .
`` I remember going home that day , thinking that the worst thing that could ever happen has happened , '' Aren says .
`` But then I woke up the next day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The image of her dead daughter became inescapable .
`` Every time I went to the store , it was on the front of magazines , '' she recalls .
`` I would go to the doctor 's office and there it was .
On every television show , every news station , on the front of T-shirts , on coffee mugs .
It was everywhere and it was devastating . ''
One of the photographers , whose version was distributed by the Associated Press news agency , received a Pulitzer prize for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to feel ostracised from other families , who she says felt their loved ones were forgotten amid the notoriety around Baylee .
`` It broke my heart that she had to be seen that way , '' Aren says .
`` I have no rights to that picture at all .
I ca n't say how it 's used… when you die your rights are abolished . ''
On Saturday , the day before the anniversary of the bombing , Aren had hoped to mark Baylee 's 26th birthday with a big family @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The coronavirus pandemic has complicated that and the city 's 25th memorial plans .
Over the years , the firefighter who tried to save Baylee has become a close friend .
`` Guilt is n't always rational , '' Chris Fields says .
`` I felt a lot of guilt for Aren - she was n't really allowed to grieve privately because of the photo .
I took on a little responsibility for that . ''
Chris and other fire officials spent the first day searching for survivors .
But after a couple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operation had turned to recovery in order to help families get closure .
It took years for him to process what he went through .
Eight or nine years after the bombing , everything came to a head .
He had been helping someone build a pool , when it started raining .
The smell of wet concrete took him back to 19 April 1995 .
As evening fell on Oklahoma City that day , the bright spring morning turned to rain .
`` I remember someone remarking that God is crying right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city , '' reporter Robin Marsh says .
Over the next few months , after the pool incident , Chris felt like he was losing control .
Eventually he sought help and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder .
He retired from the Oklahoma Fire Department in 2017 , after 31 years of service , and now travels around the US speaking to first responders about mental health .
In the weeks after the bombing , the community counted its loss .
On top of those who died , many had life-altering or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amputate one woman 's leg with a pocket knife to free her from the rubble .
Ruth was among those whose recovery took years .
About a week after the bombing doctors had to remove her right eye .
She had dozens of stitches in her face and her jaw had to be wired shut .
`` Because of my own condition , I was n't able to go to the funerals , '' Ruth recalls .
`` I had one friend tell me it 's not normal to go to four or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Her family kept the television on mute at first and tip-toed around her questions over who had been found .
`` My very best friend was one of the last bodies to be recovered , '' Ruth says .
It took more than a month for the final victims to be recovered .
Some bodies were discovered only after the unstable remains of the Murrah building were demolished on 23 May .
Those who lost loved ones then had to wait years before justice was finalised .
Suspicion had initially fallen on Middle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Centre bombing two years before .
But after finding part of a van , investigators were eventually able to trace its rental back to Timothy McVeigh .
They were then surprised to find out he had been in custody all along , having been pulled over for unrelated charges while fleeing the city .
He and Terry Nichols , a former army colleague who shared his anti-government views , were indicted in August 1995 on murder and conspiracy charges .
A third man worked with federal authorities for a lesser charge .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wider plot by the right-wing persist .
McVeigh was executed three months to the day before the attacks of 11 September 2001 , which eclipsed the Oklahoma bombing as the deadliest terror attack on US soil .
A lot of what we know about McVeigh 's actions came from the government investigation , but also from a book released shortly before he was put to death .
Two Buffalo News reporters , local to where McVeigh grew up , had secretly spent more than 75 hours interviewing him about his actions .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Lou Michel says about its reception .
`` But we understood as journalists that we were doing a public service .
This was history . ''
Dan Herbeck agrees .
`` I would say that if I had an opportunity to interview Adolf Hitler and get inside his mind and find out what drove him to murder millions of innocent people , I would have done that story as well .
`` I think people should know as much as possible what makes these monsters tick .
The only way we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand as much as possible . ''
There is now a large memorial and museum where the Murrah building once stood .
Local children , like Ruth 's grandkids , grow up learning about the bombing and visit the site on school trips .
It has become a place for Oklahomans to gather and pledge to never forget .
It includes a field of empty chairs for each victim and two gateways , labelled 09:01 and 09:03 , to reflect the city 's loss of innocence and the moment when its healing began @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American elm known as the Survivor Tree .
Even before the bombing the tree was well-known , having stood curiously alone in the middle of a downtown concrete car park for decades .
Standing just across the street from the Murrah building , it was damaged in the blast .
Investigators at one point apparently wanted to cut it down to harvest evidence .
But today , it thrives .
Every year officials harvest and distribute its seeds , hoping the tree and its message can live on throughout the world .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what happened in our community , '' Robin , who is still a local news reporter , says .
For Oklahomans the tree has come to symbolise the city 's resilience and strength : it is a reminder to keep going , even when all seems lost .

One of the photographers, whose version was distributed by the Associated Press news agency, received a Pulitzer prize for the shot. Aren says she continues to feel ostracised from other families, who she says felt their loved ones were forgotten amid the notoriety around Baylee. "It broke my heart that she had to be seen that way," Aren says. "I have no rights to that picture at all. I can't say how it's used… when you die your rights are abolished."


bbc--2020-04-20--Canada shooting: Virtual vigil for victims due to Covid-19

A national virtual vigil will be held this week to honour nearly 20 victims of Canada 's deadliest shooting , which unfolded in Nova Scotia as the province was locked-down due to coronavirus .
Virus restrictions continue and authorities said they would not be lifted to allow public gatherings to mourn victims .
At least 18 people were shot dead by a gunman during a 12-hour weekend rampage .
The gunman was killed by police .
Who were the victims ?
In the weeks leading up to her death , Heather O'Brien was busy caring for the elderly during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after 6 back tomorrow .
First day I allowed myself to relax an inch , '' she wrote on her Facebook page on 9 April .
`` My small space in life is marching on .
I know atm [ at the moment ] all I love and cherish are ok .
I am truly blessed . ''
Ten days later , Ms O'Brien would be killed near her hometown of Debert , Nova Scotia when a gunman disguised as a policeman killed at least 18 people , burning several buildings before dying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ O'Brien 's daughter Darcy Dobson said on Facebook that `` a monster '' murdered her mother .
`` The pain comes and goes in waves .
I feel like I 'm outside of my own body .
This ca n't be real .
At 9:59 am she sent her last text message to our family group chat .
By 10:15 she was gone , '' she wrote Sunday evening , about ten hours after her mother was killed .
Ms Dobson said she wants `` everyone to remember how kind she was '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nurse and a grandmother , not `` the horrible way that she died '' .
Ms O'Brien had continued to work on the front lines during the Covid-19 pandemic , as a home-care nurse with the non-profit Victorian Order of Nurses ( VON ) , with whom she had been employed for 17 years .
Another VON employee , Kristen Beaton , was also killed during the shooting .
Ms Beaton , worked for VON as a continuing care assistant and had been on the job when she was killed , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ married and had a young child .
`` Kristen Beaton however will live on with all of the wonderful things she has done in her short lifetime and the thousands of lives she has effected in so many loving and wonderful ways , '' her neighbourM said on Facebook .
VON president and CEO Jo-Anne Poirier told the BBC : `` All of our frontline care providers are heroes .
Yesterday , two of those heroes , Heather O'Brien and Kristen Beaton , were taken from their families , and from VON .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ mourn for their families '' .
Constable Heidi Stevenson , who had served in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police force for 23 years , was on duty when she was killed .
`` Constable Stevenson died protecting others , she was answering the call of duty , something she had been doing with the RCMP for 23 years , '' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday during his daily press briefing .
`` With unwavering courage & compassion , the RCMP patrol these roads to keep us safe as they have for hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Facebook that her sister , Lisa McCully , a mother of two , was also one of the victims .
McCully had been a school teacher at Debert Elementary School , according to the school 's website .
`` Our hearts are broken today as we attempt to accept the loss of my sister , Lisa McCully , who was one of the victims of the mass shooting in Portapique last night , '' she wrote on Facebook .
`` Our condolences go out to the other family members who are affected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your support , it 's a hard day . ''
Not all the victims - all adult men and women , according to police - have been named .
The CBC reported that correctional officer Sean McLeod and his partner Alanna Jenkins were among the victims .
An online fundraiser has been set up to help pay for the funeral costs of a family of three , Jolene Oliver her husband Aaron ( Friar ) Tuck and their daughter Emily Tuck .
Ms Oliver 's sister Tammy Oliver-McCurdie began the fundraiser , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , played the fiddle and enjoyed fixing cars with her dad .
Married couple Jamie Blair and Greg Blair were killed Sunday , according to a relative .
`` My family has been through so much , no one should have ever had to deal with this .
I love you both so much , & sending all my love to my family & every other families who lost someone today , '' said Jessica MacBurnie on Facebook .
The Globe and Mail reported that Corrie Ellison , a social worker worker in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victims .
Charlene Bagley said her father , Tom Bagley , died while checking in on an explosion that was allegedly caused by the gunmen .
`` He died trying to help , which if you knew him , you knew that was just who he was all the time .
I know he meant something to so many people , '' she said on Facebook .
What do authorities know about the shooting ?
The deadliest shooting in modern Canadian history unfolded over 12 hours at the weekend , beginning on Saturday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Little is known about what motivated the suspected shooter , 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman , or how he chose his victims .
At about 23:32 local time on Saturday ( 02:32 GMT on Sunday ) , officers responded to a `` firearms complaint '' at a home and advised residents to lock themselves indoors .
The officers found `` several casualties '' inside and outside the home , but did not find the suspect .
A neighbour told CBC News that he saw three properties were also on fire in the area at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday after carrying out shootings over a series crime scenes that police said were `` scattered across the province '' .
Authorities are in the early stages of the `` extremely complex investigation '' , said Chief Superintendent of the Nova Scotia RCMP Chris Leather .
Including the suspect , there are some 19 victims across 16 crime scenes , including five structure fires , Mr Leather said on Monday .
`` We believe there may be victims within the remains of those homes which burned to the ground , '' Mr Leather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the suspect but others were selected at random , Mr Leather said , though he would not elaborate on the nature of these relationships .
At some points in the 12-hour rampage , the suspect travelled in a car made to look like an RCMP cruiser .
The replica looked `` identical in every way '' to an authentic one , Mr Leather said .
He also wore an RCMP uniform , either an `` actual uniform or very good facsimiles '' , he said .
`` The fact that this individual had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his disposal certainly speaks to it not being a random act . ''
RCMP officials say more victims may be identified in the remains of some of the burnt-out buildings .
Due to provincial restrictions on public gatherings put in place to stop the spread of Covid-19 , there can be no mass public vigil .
• Gunman kills at least 17 in Nova Scotia Instead , a national online vigil will be held on Friday evening , which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will attend virtually .
`` As we learn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important that we come together to support communities , '' he said Monday .
Mr Trudeau said that his Liberal party was `` on the verge '' of introducing bans to assault style weapons before parliament was dissolved amid the coronavirus outbreak .
`` We have every intention of moving forward '' , once the outbreak is curbed , he said .

"The pain comes and goes in waves. I feel like I'm outside of my own body. This can't be real. At 9:59 am she sent her last text message to our family group chat. By 10:15 she was gone," she wrote Sunday evening, about ten hours after her mother was killed.


bbc--2020-04-20--US oil prices turn negative as demand dries up

The price of US oil has turned negative for the first time in history .
That means oil producers are paying buyers to take the commodity off their hands over fears that storage capacity could run out in May .
Demand for oil has all but dried up as lockdowns across the world have kept people inside .
As a result , oil firms have resorted to renting tankers to store the surplus supply and that has forced the price of US oil into negative territory .
The price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate ( WTI ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as low as minus $ 37.63 a barrel .
• Coronavirus : Who is still flying ?
`` This is off-the-charts wacky , '' said Stewart Glickman , an energy equity analyst at CFRA Research .
`` The demand shock was so massive that it 's overwhelmed anything that people could have expected . ''
The severe drop on Monday was driven in part by a technicality of the global oil market .
Oil is traded on its future price and May futures contracts are due to expire on Tuesday .
Traders were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having to take delivery of the oil and incur storage costs .
June prices for WTI were also down , but trading at above $ 20 per barrel .
Meanwhile , Brent Crude - the benchmark used by Europe and the rest of the world , which is already trading based on June contracts - was also weaker , down 8.9 % at less than $ 26 a barrel .
Mr Glickman said the historic reversal in pricing was a reminder of the strains facing the oil market and warned that June prices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in place .
`` I 'm really not optimistic about the prospects for oil companies or oil prices , '' he said .
OGUK , the business lobby for the UK 's offshore oil and gas sector , said the negative price of US oil would affect firms operating in the North Sea .
`` The dynamics of this US market are different from those directly driving UK produced Brent but we will not escape the impact , '' said OGUK boss Deirdre Michie .
`` Ours is not just a trading market @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over jobs , '' she said .
The oil industry has been struggling with both tumbling demand and in-fighting among producers about reducing output .
Earlier this month , Opec members and its allies finally agreed a record deal to slash global output by about 10 % .
The deal was the largest cut in oil production ever to have been agreed .
But many analysts say the cuts were not big enough to make a difference .
`` It has n't taken long for the market to recognise that the Opec+ deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , be enough to balance oil markets , '' said Stephen Innes , chief global market strategist at Axicorp .
The leading exporters - Opec and allies such as Russia - have already agreed to cut production by a record amount .
In the United States and elsewhere , oil-producing businesses have made commercial decisions to cut output .
But still the world has more crude oil than it can use .
And it 's not just about whether we can use it .
It 's also about whether we can store it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ generate some additional demand for oil products .
Capacity is filling fast on land and at sea .
As that process continues it 's likely to bear down further on prices .
It will take a recovery in demand to really turn the market round and that will depend on how the health crisis unfolds .
There will be further supply cuts as private sector producers respond to the low prices , but it 's hard to see that being on a sufficient scale to have a fundamental impact on the market .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ oil prices - which have fallen by about two-thirds since the start of the year - has had an impact at the pumps , albeit not as dramatic as Monday 's decline might suggest .
`` The silver lining is , if you for various reason actually need to be on the roads , you 're filling up for far less than you would have been even four months ago , '' Mr Glickman said .
`` The problem for most of us is even if you could fill up , where are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Donald Trump has said the government will buy oil for the country 's national reserve .
But concern continues to mount that storage facilities in the US will run out of capacity , with stockpiles at Cushing , the main delivery point in the US for oil , rising almost 50 % since the start of March , according to ANZ Bank .
Mr Innes said : `` It 's a dump at all cost as no one , and I mean no one , wants delivery of oil with Cushing storage @ @ @ @ @ @ @

"The silver lining is, if you for various reason actually need to be on the roads, you're filling up for far less than you would have been even four months ago," Mr Glickman said. "The problem for most of us is even if you could fill up, where are you going to go?"


bbc--2020-04-20--Babies, survivors and 'floored' medical staff

The BBC has been invited to film inside the University Hospital Wishaw in Lanarkshire to show the impact of the @ @ @ @ @ of care .
The team filmed the challenges facing the rapidly expanded intensive care unit @ @ @ @ @ services , including the maternity unit , over 12 hours inside the hospital .
The @ @ @ @ @ is the biggest challenge we have faced in our lifetimes ” and “ NHS and @ @ @ @ @ are doing incredible work ” .

The BBC has been invited to film inside the University Hospital Wishaw in Lanarkshire to show the impact of the coronavirus pandemic across all aspects of care.
The team filmed the challenges facing the rapidly expanded intensive care unit and the transformation of other services, including the maternity unit, over 12 hours inside the hospital.
The Scottish government says “this is the biggest challenge we have faced in our lifetimes” and “NHS and social care staff across Scotland are doing incredible work”.
Special correspondent Ed Thomas, producer Noel Titheradge and cameraman Phillip Edwards
Watch more personal stories during the coronavirus outbreak: Your Coronavirus Stories


bbc--2020-04-20--Coronavirus: Hope as Italy records first fall in active virus cases

The number of people officially identified as infected with coronavirus in Italy has fallen for the first time since the country 's outbreak began , authorities have said .
As of Monday , there were 108,237 people either being treated in hospital or recovering at home , 20 fewer than the previous day .
Authorities say the small but symbolic drop is a `` positive development '' .
Italy 's lockdown continues until 3 May but some businesses have reopened .
They include bookshops , stationers and shops selling children 's clothes , as officials see how social distancing measures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the third-highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world after Spain and the US .
On Sunday , the increase of active positive cases in the country was 486 .
`` For the first time , we have seen a new positive development : the number of currently positive has declined , '' civil protection agency chief Angelo Borrelli told reporters .
More than 24,000 people have so far died of the coronavirus in Italy , according to US-based Johns Hopkins University , which is tracking the disease globally .
However , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care facilities are not included in the country 's figures , many believe the actual death and infection rates may be higher than the official tallies .
The Italian authorities have called the figures `` extremely encouraging '' .
The number of people currently infected with coronavirus has fallen for the first time ; it is an important milestone , despite the fact that there were fewer tests than the previous day .
Total cases , which includes those who have died and recovered , rose by just over 1.2 % , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There were , however , 454 deaths - slightly up on Sunday 's figure .
While the infection numbers are cause for optimism , the daily death toll is proving stubbornly high .
Intensive care figures also show a downward trend , with occupancy now at its lowest level in a month .
Italy is by no means out of the woods .
But it is on the right path - and it now feels like its sacrifices are paying off .
• A SIMPLE GUIDE : How do I protect myself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on self-isolation and exercise • STRESS : How to look after your mental health France has become the latest country to record more than 20,000 deaths related to coronavirus , a toll the country 's director of health Jérôme Salomon has called `` symbolic and painful '' .
`` Tonight , our country is crossing a painful symbolic milestone , '' he said .
Unlike the UK , France is including nursing home deaths in its daily toll .
As of Monday , there have been 20,265 virus-related deaths in France - 12,513 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nursing homes , Mr Salomon added .
• Germany has reopened small shops , car dealerships and bicycle stores , in a tentative easing of the coronavirus lockdown imposed nearly a month ago • In Portugal , 138 asylum seekers who tested positive for coronavirus are in quarantine , having been moved out of a hostel in Lisbon • Riot police in southern Russia were deployed on Monday to disperse hundreds of people protesting against coronavirus restrictions .
Demonstrators chanted outside government headquarters in Vladikavkaz , the capital of North Ossetia • Coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Greece - a pregnant 28-year-old Somali woman is now in isolation at a hotel in Kranidi housing 470 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa .
The other people staying there are being tested

Intensive care figures also show a downward trend, with occupancy now at its lowest level in a month. Italy is by no means out of the woods. But it is on the right path - and it now feels like its sacrifices are paying off.


bbc--2020-04-20--Coronavirus: Are hospital cleaners forgotten heroes in this crisis?

Cleanliness and hygiene has never seemed of greater concern than it is now .
So should the people making sure hospitals are free of germs be getting more of a voice ?
On 26 March , Chicago stopped for a moment of gratitude amidst the growing coronavirus crisis .
People took to their balconies , porches and rooftops cheering and ringing bells in the dark winter night .
The applause was for the healthcare workers , first responders and service-industry employees on the frontlines of the pandemic who were risking their lives every day to save people from the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for hospital cleaner Candice Martinez , 39 , the recognition of nurses and doctors has left her feeling empty .
`` It 's disappointing to me that us 'lower level employees ' are n't getting any kind of recognition for what we are doing . ''
As an Environmental Services Worker ( EVS ) at Northwestern Memorial Hospital , Ms Martinez is responsible for cleaning the rooms while patients are in hospital or after they are discharged or moved .
And in the midst of a pandemic defined by the need for cleanliness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cleaning the very hospitals where coronavirus victims fight for life are of utmost importance .
Ms Martinez is one of the thousands of essential employees in the city who still have to go to work despite the crisis .
And one of the 12,571 cases of Covid-19 identified in Chicago .
`` When I got sick I was really scared .
I have asthma so I have breathing issues and my lungs are already compromised . ''
She is one of approximately 33,000 hospital service workers in Chicago , according to a University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they make on average between $ 26,000-31,000 a year .
`` The whole edifice of the hospital system rests on the folks who clean , wash and provide cafeteria services , '' Dr Robert Bruno , who conducted the 2018 study , told the BBC .
Yet despite their importance , Ms Martinez says that service workers are often the last to learn about new protocols and procedures in the hospital - as may have been the case with coronavirus .
On the frontline in the US • An invisible wound for health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being asked to play god • 'You prepare for the worst as a nurse but not this' '' At the beginning of this pandemic we started raising the alarm bells because hospitals were putting in place work plans but our employees were n't being trained on them , '' says Anne Igoe , VP of Hospitals for Service Employees International Union ( SEIU ) .
Workers like Ms Martinez are `` last on the list , '' she says .
`` People overlook them .
When coronavirus started in Chicago , nurses and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on new protocols , and that information was n't always getting to EVS workers , '' Ms Igoe said .
Ms Martinez 's primary responsibility is cleaning rooms after women give birth , work that rewards her with $ 14.58 ( £11.71 ) per hour .
`` We clean and sanitise the room , '' she says .
`` We pull trash and clean high-touch spots like light switches and doorknobs . ''
It 's risky business during this pandemic - the virus seems to survive on hard surfaces like door handles for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible it can even survive on clothing and in linens .
Ms Martinez , like many other EVS workers , relies on overtime to pay her bills , which can mean starting at 07:00 and finishing at nearly midnight .
On these marathon shifts she works at a variety of wards , and she suspects she contracted the virus when a patient room was improperly labelled or a sign cautioning that staff wear personal protective equipment ( PPE ) was taken down too soon .
`` When I started feeling bad a couple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overtime in the part of the hospital where there was coronavirus .
I know that people who were on shift at the same time on the same floor are out sick now too . ''
She started feeling feverish in the middle of a 12-hour Sunday shift , and then she did something she rarely does - she left work early .
First came the headaches , then the fever , so she called the Covid hotline and got an appointment for a test the following day .
With a high fever and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bus and then a train for the hour-long journey from her Brighton Park neighbourhood to the testing centre downtown .
Two days later , she received news that she had tested positive for Covid-19 .
• A SIMPLE GUIDE : How do I protect myself ?
• AVOIDING CONTACT : The rules on self-isolation and exercise • STRESS : How to look after your mental health Ms Martinez is white but two-thirds of hospital service workers are not .
The struggle to protect these low-wage cleaners represents a broader problem , because the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minority communities .
`` Chicago 's hospitals are being held up , propped up and supported by our most vulnerable , low-wage , low-educated , most-overworked workers who are disproportionately people of colour , '' says Dr Bruno .
• Why are African Americans hit so hard by virus ?
The challenge for workers like Ms Martinez , he adds , is the lack of flexibility that comes with being a low-wage worker which means they have no choice but to return to the place they contracted the virus .
Northwestern Memorial Hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` The health and safety of our employees , physicians , and patients is our highest priority .
Since the outbreak of Covid-19 , we have gone to extraordinary lengths to maintain an environment that protects everyone . ''
Although it 's impossible to know exactly where or how Ms Martinez contracted coronavirus , the hospital has agreed to pay her workers ' compensation .
Ms Igoe of the union described the situation for at-risk hospital service workers as chaotic and inconsistent .
`` Some EVS workers are called immediately and told they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patient , and some are just sent an email which can be problematic if they do n't read it for days because they do n't have a computer at home . ''
• How California kept ahead of the curve Many hospitals are trying to limit exposure from infected patients , says Ms Igoe .
`` Nurses are bringing up more food trays and changing some linens .
Housekeeping 's main role is cleaning the rooms after the patients have left . ''
But such efforts may have come too late for workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospital has asked her to come back to work three days after her symptoms subside .
After over a week off work , she said she is feeling much better and is grateful for the sick leave provided by her employer , but she 's not quite ready to go back to work .
`` It 's going to change my approach when I go back .
I probably wo n't be doing overtime for a long-time because I do n't want to be in different parts of the hospital . ''
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she can expect a lower paycheque .
Days later , Ms Martinez had returned to work , but she fears she may catch it again .

As an Environmental Services Worker (EVS) at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Ms Martinez is responsible for cleaning the rooms while patients are in hospital or after they are discharged or moved. And in the midst of a pandemic defined by the need for cleanliness - it makes sense that the people cleaning the very hospitals where coronavirus victims fight for life are of utmost importance.