Untung99

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Sixty-eight years and counting. Despite the high hopes of the tens of thousands of optimistic Geordies who converged on London over the weekend, Newcastle’s long wait to win a major domestic trophy goes on. And while that Inter-Cities Fairs Cup triumph in 1969 helped take the bare look off the trophy cabinet in the interim, the second leg of that particular final was played in Budapest at a time when even the most devoted of Mags would have struggled to get a peek behind the iron curtain to see and celebrate the trophy-lift. Continue reading...

If Ange Postecoglou derived added satisfaction from the retention of the League Cup, he hid it well. Celtic’s manager has been an interested observer as Rangers stirred under the guidance of Michael Beale. Game 15 of Beale’s hitherto unbeaten tenure saw Celtic reaffirm the sense they are Scotland’s dominant force. What football that arrived in a ragged final came from those in hoops; the first piece of silverware of this Scottish season belongs to Celtic. Continue reading...

As they waited for the teams to be announced Leeds fans debated whether their new manager, Javi Gracia, should drop Junior Firpo. Not everyone appeared delighted when Jesse Marsch’s successor opted to stick with the left-back but, in the 77th minute, Gracia’s faith was rewarded when Firpo scored his first Premier League goal. Continue reading...

Questions about Brazilian’s signing appear ridiculous after his Manchester United displays show he is a complete midfielder There was a funny moment shortly after Casemiro had completed his transfer to Manchester United from Real Madrid last August when he was asked about one of the many new things he would have to get used to – namely no Champions League football. Was it something that bothered him? “Well, I have five,” he said, that familiar cherubic smile spreading across his features. The question could have been put more bluntly. What on earth was Casemiro, who had just won his fifth medal in Europe’s elite competition, who had almost turned it into his personal playground, doing coming to United, the fallen giants? Continue reading...

Chelsea manager’s measured response to his team’s poor form has sparked an oddly outraged reaction from press and public Just how angry do we want Graham Potter to be? Stepped on an upturned plug angry? Just missed a train angry? Had his Subaru nicked and getting ghosted by his insurance company angry? Potter’s tenure at Chelsea is a fascinating study in our expectations of managers and how much importance – if any – we place on honesty and integrity. Continue reading...

* Manager says he has a close relationship with his predecessor * Dutchman wants ‘best performance of season’ against Barcelona Erik ten Hag has described as “massive” Sir Alex Ferguson’s willingness to impart his knowledge to help the Manchester United manager after they dined together on Tuesday night. Ten Hag met his supremely successful predecessor in a restaurant in Wilmslow near to their homes. Ferguson’s 26-and-a-half year reign as United manager ended in 2013 with 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, two European Cups, the Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup, the European Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup and Fifa Club World Cup. Continue reading...

Plus: golden boot winners in multiple countries (2); a caretaker saving a Premier League club from relegation; and more * Mail us your questions or tweet @TheKnowledge_GU “I’ve just discovered that Slade’s 1978 single, Give Us a Goal (it flopped), had a video filmed at Brighton’s Goldstone Ground. What other music videos have been filmed at football stadiums?” tweets Phil Withall. We’ve ignored official club songs, for obvious reasons, so let’s proceed directly to what was, by some distance, the most popular answer in our inbox. “My local band in Prestwich, the Fall, filmed the video for their single Kicker Conspiracy at Burnley’s Turf Moor,” writes Michael Mand. “It ends with the legend, ‘filmed in Burnley’.” You couldn’t mention football in the rock world then. We were on Rough Trade and I told them ‘this is about football violence’ and it was all: ‘You don’t go to football, do you?’ I remember Melody Maker saying: ‘Mark Smith’s obviously got writer’s block having to write ab...

* Former QPR midfielder replaces Neil Critchley with club 17th * Matt Bloomfield agrees to succeed Ainsworth at Wycombe Gareth Ainsworth has been confirmed as Queens Park Rangers’ manager on a three-and-a-half-year deal after accepting the chance to take charge at his former club. QPR are long-term admirers of Ainsworth’s work at Wycombe and swiftly identified him as their No 1 target to succeed Neil Critchley, who was sacked on Sunday. Ainsworth has been joined by his longstanding assistant, Richard Dobson, who had been at Wycombe for 15 years, and analyst Josh Hart. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! You can sum up Jürgen Klopp’s Big Cup story at Liverpool in one word. It’s not “heavy”, or “metal”; it’s not even “heavy-metal” when it’s used as an adjective. It’s “Madrid”. Liverpool beat Spurs at the Estadio Metropolitano, aka the House of Simeone, in 2019 to win their sixth title. In the other four seasons, from 2018-22, they were eliminated by Madrid’s finest: Real three times, including two finals, and Atlético in a just-before-Covid night that gets weirder with every recall. So it was no great surprise when Liverpool, who had a one-in-four chance of drawing Real Madrid in the last 16, drew Real Madrid in the last 16. Does anyone else’s memory drift back to 1978 and a short BBC2 series called The Pickersgill People? Episode one (if I remember correctly) featured ‘the Sheik of Pickersgill’, who would hold his red and white shemagh while chanting ‘United, United’. Of course, this would never happen in reality” – Peter Storch. P...

James Graham’s Dear England follows ‘gentle revolution’ implemented by men’s football manager A play chronicling “the gentle revolution” led by England men’s football manager, Gareth Southgate, is to be staged at the National Theatre. James Graham, the writer of the acclaimed television series Sherwood, has written Dear England, about the shift in the national team’s culture under Southgate. Dear England will run at the National Theatre from 10 June until 11 August. Tickets go on sale on 9 March. Continue reading...

* Liverpool lost in last season’s Paris showpiece * Núñez could be available for last-16 first leg Jürgen Klopp has said it was “proper torture” to relive last season’s Champions League final defeat by a Real Madrid team who will provide the ultimate test of Liverpool’s recent recovery at Anfield on Tuesday. The Liverpool manager watched a replay of the 1-0 loss in Paris for the first time over the weekend in preparation for the last-16 first leg tie against Carlo Ancelotti’s holders. It was a painful analysis, admitted Klopp, with his team unable to find a way past Thibaut Courtois and Real unflappable as they ended Liverpool’s Champions League aspirations for the third time in five seasons. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! QPR have had some brilliant managers down the years. Take Alec Stock, who won the League Cup, or Terry Venables, who won himself a move to Barcelona. Dave Sexton led the club to within 15 minutes of the title; Neil Warnock won the Championship while annoying finger-wagging purists with satisfying regularity; and Ian Holloway was good at improv. But the hits have not kept on coming. Mark Hughes, Harry Redknapp and Steve McClaren, for goodness sake. Whatever did they expect? Mark Warburton took three years to go nowhere in particular, Michael Beale required a mere six months before bolting off to Rangers, and now Neil Critchley has been booted, 12 matches into a three-and-a-half year contract, leading some to suggest director of football Les Ferdinand is struggling to differentiate between his Rs and his elbow. This is bigger than the rules of football, it’s about life and death. The referee said it was not allowed, but he understood ...

Marcus Rashford’s 23rd and 24th goals of a campaign he will long cherish were taken with cool aplomb and sent Manchester United en route to the perfect start of what they hope proves a landmark eight days. Erik ten Hag’s men are again five points behind Arsenal, having played a game more, and entertain Barcelona here in Thursday’s Europa League playoff second leg, the tie poised at 2-2. Knock the Catalan side out and beat Newcastle in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final and United will have enjoyed their finest week of recent memory. Rashford’s first-half opener, against a Leicester team that might have already been 4-0 up, made him the first United player to score in seven consecutive Premier League home outings since Wayne Rooney in 2010. For the centre-forward’s second, after the break, he skated on to Fred’s pass and beat Danny Ward through the goalkeeper’s legs, while Jadon Sancho’s finish derived, too, from a smart United sequence: Lisandro Martínez pickpocketed Kelechi Iheanacho and pas...

* Terriers beat Birmingham 2-1, Blackpool edge past Stoke * Boro beat QPR to cut gap to Blades, Burnley win at Luton The new Huddersfield Town manager, Neil Warnock, made an instant impact as a 2-1 home win over Birmingham boosted the Terriers’ survival hopes. Troy Deeney gave the Blues an early lead but the hosts rallied, with Watford loanee Jo Hungbo – one of seven changes made by Warnock – equalising in the 25th minute following a swift break, scoring his first goal for the club. Continue reading...

The former Newcastle player, who has died aged 31 in Turkey, was a true Christian in every sense of the word Christian Atsu could not have had a more appropriate name. The former Ghana winger, whose body has been found beneath the rubble left by the recent earthquakes in Turkey, was a true Christian in every sense of the word. Atsu’s extensive charity work and numerous good deeds touched countless lives, transforming many for the better along his journey from West Africa to Western Europe and, ultimately, the Middle East. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Manchester United takeover stories aren’t what they once were. Time was when they were all about glittering, outlandish promises made by “characters”. Michael Knighton juggling footballs before a half-rapturous, half-bemused Stretford End for example, promising to spend £10m (ask your grandad what that meant in 1989 money) on doing up the ground. Admittedly Knighton’s bid failed and he slunk off to Carlisle, where he had fun sort-of claiming he had seen a UFO and falling out spectacularly with local media and fans. Continue reading...

Watching England in the Six Nations was a reminder of how much football can learn from rugby, cycling and others The ball was sent long, launched off the right boot in the hope of getting his team up the other end to put pressure on the opposition defenders. Possession was lost, though, and the visitors took control, quickly regained the territory and nearly scored on the counter. The fan next to me bemoaned this waste of an attack from the hosts, claiming short passes at speed are a better way of playing than that “lazy” style. All this took place at Twickenham, where it was fascinating to analyse the differences and similarities between rugby union and football. I spent last Sunday at England’s victory over Italy in the Six Nations, watching the preferences for slower buildup or a more direct approach. It was supposed to be a day off, something completely different from my day-to-day roles, but I was fascinated by what the sports can take from one another, and seeing the tactical t...

* News comes amid players’ anger over budget cuts * Priestman led Canada to Olympic gold in Tokyo The Olympic gold medal-winning Canada head coach, Bev Priestman, is understood to be considering her future with the national team as the impasse between the players and federation over pay equity issues and budget cuts rumbles on. Priestman, who led the Canada women’s national team to a first major tournament victory at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, is considering her options for beyond the World Cup, which kicks off in July. It is believed that the 36-year-old, who was assistant to Phil Neville when he was head coach of England’s Lionesses, is considering a move into club football and that a number of clubs have expressed an interest. Continue reading...

* Lee Mason failed to spot offside in buildup to Brentford goal * ‘That costs Arsenal two points that aren’t going to be restored’ Mikel Arteta has accused the VAR official Lee Mason of not understanding his job as the ramifications of a missed offside that could prove costly to Arsenal’s title challenge rumble on. Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Brentford on Saturday but the Bees’ equaliser, scored by Ivan Toney, should not have stood because Christian Nørgaard was offside during the buildup. Mason, a former referee who became a dedicated VAR last season, did not investigate the relevant passage of play and has been stood down for this weekend’s fixtures. Continue reading...

* Uefa review says Liverpool and Real Madrid fans could have died * French police, football federation and ministers also criticised Uefa bears “primary responsibility” for the catastrophic organisational and safety failures that turned last season’s Champions League final into a horrific, traumatic experience for thousands of supporters, Uefa’s own review has concluded. That central finding, and alarming criticisms of the culture and operations at the confederation of European football, and of the French police, are made in a damning report produced by the panel Uefa appointed to review the chaos that engulfed the final between Liverpool and Real Madrid at the Stade de France in Paris last May. Continue reading...

Anyone unfortunate enough to have used the shambolic TransPennine Express rail service between Leeds and Manchester this winter could be forgiven for suspecting the distance separating the cities has somehow increased. Unfortunately for Michael Skubala, the Leeds caretaker manager, the gap between his club and Erik ten Hag’s now looks positively vast. Barely 50 miles separate Elland Road and Old Trafford but while Manchester United headed back west across the hills with their hopes of Champions League qualification enhanced, Skubala’s players are deep in relegation trouble. Continue reading...

Antonio Conte returned to the technical area for this game under strict instructions to take it easy after gallbladder surgery. But this match would have tested the stress levels of anyone afforded the dubious privilege of managing Tottenham. A week after beating Premier League champions Manchester City, Spurs were on the end of a pounding, just three days before they return to Champions League action away to Milan, as Leicester backed up their exhilarating recovery away to Aston Villa with another four-goal display. Continue reading...

Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City manager, has responded to questions on the club's alleged financial breaches. CIty are facing potential punishment from the Premier League for alleged breaches of financial regulations. The Premier League confirmed that it had referred a number of alleged breaches of the competition's rules to an independent commission. City are said to have breached rules relating to providing accurate financial information between the seasons of 2009-10 and 2017-18. * Defiant Guardiola says Premier League rivals behind Manchester City charges – live Continue reading...

The Discover My Talent scheme allows anyone to recommend a talented young player to the FA So, your daughter plays football, or you’re the coach of a local girls’ team, or you’re a teacher, watching girls kick a ball around in the playground. What do you do if you know or see a standout player, someone that could have a future in football? The FA has spent three years reviewing the pathway for female players from top to bottom in a bid to make it simple for anyone to recommend the talent they see and to make it as easy as possible for girls, from any background, to be able access the support that will hone their skills. Continue reading...

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! It was inevitable that Hollywood-on-Clywedog FC’s blockbuster FA Cup showdown with Sheffield United would have a dramatic denouement worthy of Tinseltown’s golden age. The involvement of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney from That Los Angeles, in and of itself, usually guarantees nothing more than laboured cinematic allusion, celluloid punning and Metro-Goldwyn metaphor. But Tuesday night’s extremely entertaining sequel premiere at the Bramall Odeon was hailed an instant classic by all, thanks in no small part to closing scenes that featured a passionate soliloquy from Billy Sharp and a John-Wayne-versus-Victor-McLaglen-style rumble on the red carpet. Continue reading...

Footballers, coaches and scientists give their views on whether lethal strikers are born or bred By Ben Welch for The Blizzard Goalscorers are special. Fans worship them, managers count on them and that gorgeous, frosted-tipped goal machine staring back from the mirror loves them unconditionally. In fairness, there is substance to this inflated perception. They’re the match-winners. The top selling shirt in the club shop. The most expensive player on the pitch. According to this fraternity of goalscoring deities, no one, no matter how many hours they put in on the training ground can do what they do: put the spherical leather object into the net. Because it’s something they alone were born to do – and yet one look at the current Premier League scoring charts suggests otherwise. With the obvious exception of Erling Haaland, forwards, wingers and midfielders are the ones monopolising football’s most revered statistic. Even full-backs are starting to get in on the act. So in the modern...

Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning, George Elek and Ben Fisher round up the latest stories in the Football League. Plus Kieran Maguire and James Schooley join to discuss the latest at Manchester City and Southend Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. Today: the Premier League has accused Manchester City of breaching more than 100 rules in a statement that was handily released 10 minutes after the podcast was recorded on Monday – football financial expert Kieran is here to make sense of the allegations and possible punishment they may face. Continue reading...

* Abdulai Bah accused of sexual harassment by three players * He denies wrongdoing in matter also being looked at by police Fifa is investigating allegations of sexual harassment by the former coach of the Sierra Leone women’s national team, the Guardian can reveal. Abdulai Bah was suspended from his role as Sierra Leone’s coach in October 2021 after allegations of sexual harassment were made by three players. Fifa’s ethics committee has stepped in after the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) was accused of inadequacies in its investigation. Continue reading...

Our cartoonist on the new man at Goodison Park, the former man at Elland Road and a tough few days for Manchester City * Like what David does? Consider supporting our journalism * You can buy a Squires cartoon from the Guardian Print Store Continue reading...

A tactical reshuffle failed to pay off for Milan’s manager, leaving recent calls, not least regarding Rafael Leão, open to question At the southern end of San Siro, Milan’s Ultras did their best to set a tone. “The champions of Italy welcome the champions of Arabia,” read the banner hung from the dizzyingly vertical second tier, reminding Inter counterparts at the far end that a Supercoppa victory in Riyadh could never mean as much as a scudetto. There was just one problem: nobody has seen Milan’s title-winning side since before the World Cup. The team who have taken the pitch in 2023 are the palest of imitations, familiar faces playing unrecognisable football. They had won one out of seven games this calendar year and lost the past three by a combined score of 12-2. Continue reading...

* Brazilian banned after grabbing Will Hughes by the neck * Sabitzer impressed as Manchester United sub versus Palace David de Gea says Casemiro’s three-game suspension will be tough for Manchester United but he is confident Marcel Sabitzer can be an ideal replacement. Casemiro was sent off in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Old Trafford for wrapping his hands around Will Hughes’ neck so will be unavailable for the home and away Premier League matches versus Leeds in the next eight days, plus Leicester’s visit on 19 February. Continue reading...

* Humphrys completes Hearts comeback against Dundee United * Livingston move up to fourth with 3-1 win over Kilmarnock Michael Beale’s Rangers bandwagon continued rolling but not without some fortune amid a second-half fright from Ross County at Ibrox. Malky Mackay’s side had proved resolute in defence before early substitute Malik Tillman put Rangers in front with a header in first-half added time – but the visitors stuck to their task after the break and striker Jordan White levelled in the 65th minute with a header. However left-back Borna Barisic’s deflected free-kick in the 75th minute restored the Rangers lead for a nervy 2-1 victory, leaving County still looking for their first win over the Govan club. Continue reading...

* Manager recovering in Italy after gallbladder surgery * Tottenham face Manchester City at home on Sunday Antonio Conte will learn on Saturday whether he has been passed fit to attend Tottenham’s match against Manchester City as he recovers from surgery to remove his gallbladder. Conte is recuperating in Italy after Wednesday’s operation. He will take medical advice on whether he is able to be at Sunday’s game and in what capacity, with full involvement on the touchline highly unlikely even if he is cleared to travel. His assistant, Cristian Stellini, would manage the team in his absence. Continue reading...

Former Burnley manager arrives at Goodison refreshed and looks the right man to re-energise the squad, and keep them up Considering the situation Everton are in, sitting second bottom of the Premier League, Sean Dyche was the smartest appointment the board could have made. He has been in similar positions and knows how to successfully manage a relegation battle. Everton have two points from their past eight matches and one victory in 12. Dyche has the tough task of facing the league leaders, Arsenal, at Goodison Park on Saturday in his first match, followed by the derby at Anfield. No pressure, Sean. Continue reading...

* Co-hosts ‘not consulted’ over reported deal with Visit Saudi * NZ and Australia both call on Fifa to ‘urgently clarify’ situation Australian and New Zealand football’s governing bodies have said they are “shocked and disappointed” by reports that Fifa is set to announce that Saudi Arabia’s tourism authority will be an official sponsor at the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Both organisations have called on Fifa to “urgently clarify” the situation. New Zealand Football claimed it had not been consulted, nor had next summer’s World Cup co-hosts Australia, and both have joined human rights groups, including Amnesty International, in criticising the potential deal as Fifa seeks to attract brands to specifically support women’s football. Continue reading...

* United turned down ‘just under £500,000’ for striker * Natasha Dowie re-signs for Liverpool from Reading Alessia Russo has remained a Manchester United player after Women’s Super League rivals Arsenal tried to sign the England striker before the transfer deadline. The Gunners had been looking to bolster their attack and launched a big-money bid for Russo a few days ago. Continue reading...