Sean Dyche planning major changes at Everton after avoiding relegation
Everton manager Sean Dyche will allow his players to briefly enjoy their escape from relegation but he has already laid down the law that major changes are needed at the club. Abdoulaye Doucoure’s 57th-minute thunderbolt gave the Toffees a 1-0 win over Bournemouth and the victory which ensured they stayed up and extended their stay in the top flight to 70 successive seasons. For the second consecutive season there was a pitch invasion at the final whistle – although nowhere near as many numbers joined in as 12 months ago when safety was secured with a game to spare. There was a feeling inside the club that they did not want to be seen to be celebrating avoiding failure and that probably came from Dyche himself. “It’s a horrible day for all concerned, there is no joy in it for me other than getting the job done,” said the former Burnley boss, who only took over in late January. “I came in here to change a mentality and I think there have been signs of that. There is still more to go. “I said to the the players ‘We shouldn’t be here. Enjoy this today and you’ve earned it but at the end of the day it has got to change’. “There is no point in sitting on it and saying ‘Look how great we are’ because it is not like that. “There is loads to change here and a lot of work to be done but it was a big step to secure it.” Dyche was able to speak from a greater position of strength after avoiding what would have been only the club’s third relegation in their 145-year history. That gave him the confidence to dish out some home truths in his post-match press conference which he had been reticent to do so previously for fear of creating more instability and detracting from the task in hand. “Don’t think I thought this was an easy fix because it is not, far from it,” he added. “It’s a big club, make no mistake. Big history, big club, but we are not performing like a big club. We have to find a way of changing that. This is two seasons now. “I’ve played my little part in two seasons of this but there is a massive amount of change to build to a new dawn, a new future, a bigger future if you like.” That future is likely to see him make significant changes to a totally unbalanced squad which somehow avoided relegation despite playing the whole season with their main striker – Dominic Calvert-Lewin – featuring in less than half of it and his back-up – Neal Maupay – managing just one goal (in September) in 29 appearances. Asked if he would have to sell players, with the club having made more than £430m of losses in the last four years, Dyche added: “There’s a chance. I’ll find out about that. “There’s not been any depth, there have been peripheral talks based on ifs, buts and maybes but that will come over the coming weeks when we find out the truth of what we have got, what we can do, what we can’t do. “We had to get this (safety) sorted out, we’ve got it over the line. It was absolutely the key focus. Now it is time to immediately re-focus on the rest of it.” Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil was disappointed not to have got something from the game. “I thought we were the better side and had control for the most part but there is still a lot to progress on,” he said. “We knew we were coming into a tough atmosphere against a direct team and I thought the lads stood up to it well. We maybe didn’t create enough. “We maybe got a little too desperate towards the end but there was a lot there I liked. It’s just a shame we didn’t score, I always thought we would get one.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Everton safe as reality bites for Leeds and Leicester – 5 Premier League things Frank Lampard believes Chelsea standards have slipped as cheerless campaign ends Erik ten Hag backs Man Utd to win FA Cup and end neighbours City’s treble charge
2023-05-29 03:51
Roy Hodgson: For Crystal Palace to finish much higher would be hell of an ask
Roy Hodgson believes an 11th-placed finish for Crystal Palace is an excellent achievement. A 1-1 draw at home to Nottingham Forest saw the south London outfit finish in their highest position since 2017-18, in a campaign that saw the 75-year old replace Patrick Vieira in March. A Will Hughes effort cancelled out an opener for Taiwo Awoniyi, but Hodgson – who refused to be drawn on his future – was proud of the club’s accomplishment. “An 11th place for Palace, in any season, is always acceptable. At the moment that is definitely where we want to be at least,” Hodgson said. “We can always hope we have a better season and some of the seasons beyond that, and hope we get into the top half. “But I think there’s always going to be a gap to teams which spend £200million or more on putting their playing staff together, whose only interest is getting into the Champions League. “I hope our fans and the club realise that’s a hell of an ask where you can finish higher than 11th or 12th.” Nottingham Forest took the lead in a 60-second spell that could have seen them fall behind. A shot by Eberechi Eze on the hour was blocked by Jordan Ayew, with goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey turning away a Hughes shot on the rebound. A long ball out of the Forest half almost immediately by Morgan Gibbs-White found Awoniyi, who got the better of Joachim Anderson in the box and slotted home. Palace equalised in the 65th minute, albeit with some good fortune. A cross by Michael Olise into the box was flicked on by Hughes past Hennessey – although the ball deflected off the challenging Willy Boly. While both sides were looking for a winning effort to round off the season, it proved to be a satisfactory – if winless – ending for both sides. Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper revealed his appreciation for Hodgson, and also believed the travelling support got a deserved reward. “I said to Roy at the end it was an honour to come up against him. I’ve only done four years of this first-team lark,” Cooper said. “For him to do as much as he’s done and to have the career he’s done, I’m full of admiration. He doesn’t need any kind words from me, but at the same time it’s a privilege to come up against him. “We wanted to win and I think it was important to give the supporters a result. “Our away support has been incredible and we haven’t given them enough in terms of results and sometimes performances. “It could have been any result today and it would have been the same atmosphere, they’ve given us that.”
2023-05-29 03:26
Injury concerns for Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish ahead of FA Cup final
Pep Guardiola admits he does not know if Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish will be fit for next weekend’s FA Cup final. Manchester City’s attacking duo, and defender Ruben Dias, missed the1-0 final-day defeat at Brentford through injury. The champions, who face Manchester United at Wembley on Saturday as they bid to complete the second leg of an historic Treble, were consigned to defeat by Ethan Pinnock’s late goal. With De Bruyne and Grealish missing completely and Erling Haaland left on the bench, it was a scratch City side and those established stars who did play, like Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez, had little impact. But Guardiola said: “Congratulations to Brentford for the victory. It’s difficult to faze them, how quick they play, how aggressive they are in all departments. “I’m pretty sure we would have behaved a little bit different if we needed the points. “I don’t have any complaints of how we behaved, I said to the players just now ‘you won the title, enjoy two days with your families and then we will prepare for the first final’. “The guys who didn’t play who normally play were exhausted yesterday, mentally completely drained. They needed to rest to arrive with the right energy to face United.” When asked if the players who missed out would be fit for Wembley, Guardiola said: “I don’t know right now. Hopefully. “Ruben, Jack and Kevin couldn’t play. It is what it is. I think they will be ready but it’s hard to get ready in training. That’s why I had to see the players who played today.” Pinnock’s 85th-minute strike made Brentford the only team to do the double over City this season, and only the fifth since Guardiola took over in 2016. The Spaniard added: “They are the best team by far at set-pieces, they are exceptional. What Thomas Frank has done for years is amazing and the unity of his squad is there for all to see. “Hopefully we can do better and beat them like we did last season, so we have a target for next season already.” The Bees still needed a double save from goalkeeper David Raya to deny Cole Palmer at the death to end another impressive season on a high. They had a slim chance to qualify for the Europa Conference League, and although victories for Tottenham and Aston Villa ultimately scuppered that dream, they finished a creditable ninth. “Of course beating them twice means something, it means even more for the fans, they like that narrative and hopefully City win the Treble,” said Frank. “Ending ninth in the Premier League, getting 59 points – and maybe deserve to have even more – it’s incredible the journey we have been on. “What advice would I give United and Inter Milan? Well, I think we top performed in those two games. “They are the best offensive team in then world so you need to defend very well and we did, and we were very brave throughout the game. I loved that from my players.”
2023-05-29 03:25
Why former absentee USC AD Mike Bohn was always going to fail
It was only a matter of time before Mike Bohn was going to be exposed as an absentee USC AD.You don't even know what all was going wrong during Mike Bohn's controversial tenure as the USC athletic director.The Athletic's Justin Williams (subscription required) gave more insigh...
2023-05-29 03:23
Erik ten Hag backs Man Utd to win FA Cup and end neighbours City’s treble charge
Erik ten Hag told the raucous Old Trafford faithful that Manchester United have a “really good chance” of winning the FA Cup and ending Manchester City’s treble charge. Having wrapped up Champions League qualification by beating Chelsea on Thursday, the Red Devils sealed third spot in the Premier League on the final day of the campaign. United bounced back from Kenny Tete’s early header as David De Gea saved Aleksandar Mitrovic’s penalty before Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes sealed a 2-1 comeback win against Fulham. The players were given a fantastic reception at full-time and, after presenting De Gea with the Golden Glove trophy, boss Ten Hag made an impassioned speech to fans. “First of all, I want to say thank you to our players,” he told the stadium. “I think they played a brilliant season. “They are also supported by the staff. I want to say thank you to the staff. “Secondly, I want to thank you (the fans) all. We fought really strong during the season at Old Trafford and away. “I want to thank you for the season and your contribution backing us, for the support – it was great, so thank you. “But there is still one game to go and I am sure that these players will give everything to beat Manchester City next week. “If you have our back, I’m sure we have a really good chance to take the cup back to Old Trafford.” Those comments were met by a huge roar that will increase further still if Ten Hag’s men can beat City at Wembley next Saturday and add the FA Cup to February’s Carabao Cup success. “You have always a chance in football,” Ten Hag said in the post-match press conference. “The history shows we beat them in January but I think Man United in the last couple of years beat City many times. “So, these players know when they play at their levels that they can compete. “It’s obvious we play against probably – at this moment – the best team, but still there is a chance and we have to go for the chance and we have to give everything. “We can’t be after the game finding excuses for ourselves. I’m sure we will play a good game on Saturday.” Ten Hag knows United have to step up after making a sloppy start against Fulham, saying De Gea’s penalty save woke them up. The United boss again reiterated that he expected the long-serving Spain goalkeeper to extend his contract beyond the end of the season, before seemingly taking a dig at the owners’ backing. Fans called for the Glazers to leave throughout – as they always do – and Ten Hag said he did not get investment like their top-four rivals in January. The United boss, who was only able to make loan moves for Jack Butland, Wout Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer, said: “The club knows if you want to play top four, compete for trophies in this tough league, then you have to invest. “Otherwise you don’t have a chance because other clubs will do. “We have seen it in the winter that all the clubs around us made huge investments. We didn’t and still we made it, so I’m really happy and proud of my team.” As for Fulham, they displayed heart at Old Trafford at the end of an impressive season that saw them finish 10th after promotion from the Championship. Head coach Marco Silva said: “We had very good moments during the game. “Unfortunately for us, not really consistent during all the match but the way we started we were beginning to control the game. “We were leading the score and I think it was well deserved because we showed the composure and quality to play, to control most of the moments. “Of course we had the chance to make it 2-0 and give us even more confidence and create a much-more difficult score for them. “De Gea saved and of course it was a moment that boosted them. You could feel is straight away in the stadium. “These are the moments we have to show our maturity, to show more consistency.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Frank Lampard believes Chelsea standards have slipped as cheerless campaign ends Liverpool will be Premier League contenders again next season – Jurgen Klopp Roy Hodgson: For Crystal Palace to finish much higher would be hell of an ask
2023-05-29 03:22
Frank Lampard believes Chelsea standards have slipped as cheerless campaign ends
Frank Lampard said he believes the standards at Chelsea have dropped after he signed off as interim manager with a 1-1 draw against Newcastle. The result means Lampard failed to register a single home victory during his second spell in charge, with his last win as manager at Stamford Bridge still a 3-1 triumph over West Ham in December 2020. It took a Kieran Trippier own goal, the defender deflecting the ball into the net midway through the first half, to cancel out Anthony Gordon’s early strike. This was at least an improved performance from Chelsea, particularly in the second half where they played with an attacking initiative rarely seen under Lampard. The young trio of Noni Madueke, Lewis Hall and substitute Carey Chukwuemeka especially played with the maturity to take charge of the game and drive their team on, after a first half in which Newcastle had made Chelsea look ordinary. That has happened too often this season, especially at home where there have been six Premier League defeats and only 20 goals scored, the same number as Bournemouth and three fewer than relegated Leicester. Lampard said he had recognised early in his tenure that leadership and cohesion were lacking among a bloated squad, and hoped that a new manager – expected to be Mauricio Pochettino – would be able to slim down and galvanise the first-team group. “The standards collectively have dropped,” said Lampard. “I can be honest about that now that it’s my last game, I might not see some of them that much anymore. “The standards of the collective for a club like Chelsea have to be at the maximum or you won’t be physically competitive enough, or you won’t be able to play at a high level… high speed in a way that the Premier League demands. “If you’re not together in the dressing room, and you’re not vocal in the dressing room, driving each other and competitive because I want your place and you want mine. Any top team has to have that. “When I came in very quickly I could see that wasn’t there enough. Of course a very good manager will help that, but everyone has to take responsibility, players and club alike.” Chelsea’s form has nosedived since Lampard was appointed on April 6, with problems that had been apparent under former manager Graham Potter having only been exacerbated. Todd Boehly’s whirlwind transfer activity during his first year of ownership has produced a squad of 34 first-team players that both managers have said proved hugely challenging to work with. It has contributed to Chelsea recording a first bottom-half finish since 1996 and a record low tally of points and goals scored in the Premier League era. “It’s clear there are things I would see that need to improve,” said Lampard. “A new manager will see with his own eyes and the beauty of it is he’ll have a pre-season to work with the team, they need that. “We’re not physically competitive enough. Newcastle are and we haven’t been. That’s a strong opinion that I have. “The squad has been too big, that’s the biggest challenge I’ve found day to day, coming in and working with big numbers, and with players who for whatever reason are disillusioned, whether for right or wrong that they’re not playing, (or) they might be leaving. Those situations can maybe be sorted out now and they have to be.” Newcastle manager Eddie Howe, whose team had already secured qualification for next season’s Champions League ahead of the game at Stamford Bridge, said a first season in 20 years in Europe’s top competition would help loosen the transfer restrictions placed on his club by Financial Fair Play rules. “FFP will impact what we do this summer,” he said. “Without Champions League football it would have been difficult to do much in the market at all. The fact we have that has given us a bit of a lift. “The most important people are the players we already have. I’m the type of manager who tries to get the best out of everyone under our employment. We’re looking to add quality, we’re not huge payers of wages in the Premier League, it makes it hard to attract the very best players. “We need more depth. With three games in a week next year we’re going to be stretched.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Erik ten Hag backs Man Utd to win FA Cup and end neighbours City’s treble charge Liverpool will be Premier League contenders again next season – Jurgen Klopp Roy Hodgson: For Crystal Palace to finish much higher would be hell of an ask
2023-05-29 03:17
Liverpool will be Premier League contenders again next season – Jurgen Klopp
Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool will be Premier League contenders next season after ending an underwhelming campaign with a thrilling 4-4 draw at relegated Southampton. The fifth-placed Reds arrived at St Mary’s knowing they had already missed out on a top-four finish for the first time since 2015-16. Early goals from Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino appeared to have put the in-form visitors on course for a straightforward success on the south coast. But they were forced to come from 4-2 behind to stretch their unbeaten run to 11 games following Kamaldeen Sulemana’s brace and strikes from James Ward-Prowse and Adam Armstrong. Liverpool boss Klopp, whose side avoided defeat thanks to a goal from substitute Cody Gakpo and Jota’s second, was happy to see the back of 2022-23 and confident next term would be far more memorable. “There were moments during the season when you thought ‘the season will be four years long’,” he said. “Thank God for the last 11 games, that helped massively, gave us a real boost, gave us a perspective, gave us a basis for what we have to do. “That it didn’t turn into the best ever season, we see that, we know that, we are very disappointed about the fact that we didn’t make it to the top four. “But there are moments when you have to admit there were four teams that were better than us – that’s the truth. “We played a bad season, we come fifth, that is a message as well. “Imagine we were our normal self, which we absolutely will be again next season and will be a contender again. That’s how is it. The last 11 games helped us to realise that again.” Gakpo and Jota struck in the 72nd and 73rd minutes respectively to prevent Liverpool slipping to a shock defeat, while Mohamed Salah hit a post late on. Klopp felt his players contributed to their own undoing during a “silly” period of a chaotic contest. “We are 2-0 up and you know these Southampton players want to pay back to these people (home fans) and we let them, just opened the door for a really talented offensive team, with the speed they have,” he said. Top start, outstanding finish, in between just silly Jurgen Klopp “I can make a list of things we weren’t and that led to the counter attacks they had. “Then it’s 2-2 and 4-2 and then we started doing the right things again. I think we could have scored a fifth and a sixth. “Top start, outstanding finish, in between just silly.”
2023-05-29 03:16
Abdoulaye Doucoure the saviour, Tottenham’s crossroads and 6 Premier League final day talking points
A topsy-turvy final day of the Premier League season saw 33 goals scored across the ten simultaneous matches, with Everton ultimately surviving the three-way relegation battle and Aston Villa beating Tottenham to a place in Europe next season. Here are the five key talking points as the 2022/23 season came to a close: Leicester changes leave Dean Smith wondering what might have been Dean Smith made a bold call in Leicester's penultimate game to drop James Maddison and Harvey Barnes, which paid off after the woodwork smiled on the Foxes. Both players returned as Smith rolled the dice, admittedly with little choice. But the response from Barnes was magnificent. Full of running, sharp turns and intelligence on the ball, the Leicester star's neat finish after an explosive run underlined his class. Barnes was hardly at risk of playing in the Championship next season, given the inevitable interest this summer, but his reputation was enhanced here with his attitude and composure under the utmost pressure of a final day relegation decider. It was not to be enough and now a move and opportunity, perhaps at a club poised to play in Europe, awaits Barnes following Leicester's heartache. Doucoure in from the cold to play the part of saviour Everton needed a hero, enter: Abdoulaye Doucoure. Frozen out by Frank Lampard and destined to depart, the Toffees faithful will be thrilled circumstances enabled an extended stay. A double at Brighton in the 5-1 win inspired one of the shocks of the season and a swing of a leg here shattered the tension engulfing Goodison Park after Harvey Barnes' goal for Leicester had them destined for the Championship. Doucoure, now 30 years of age, and just one year remaining on his deal, might not have much of a future on Merseyside, but his name will be remembered fondly after inspiring the great escape. Arsenal take the handbrake off...after the pressure departs The Gunners certainly took massive strides forward this season and wrapped up their campaign 5-0 against Wolves - though it didn’t matter with the title race long since done. Mikel Arteta’s side have had a habit over the last few years of falling short when the pressure is really cranked up and that’s exactly what they did again this term. The difference being, of course, that this time it was in a top-two battle, rather than trying to finish off the job merely qualifying for European places. With no pressure on them their fantastic football has them a class apart; improving mental resilience has to be job No.1 for next term. Spurs end on bittersweet note with future no more clear than Leeds’ Harry Kane scores twice, Spurs win 4-1, Lucas Moura nets an emotional goodbye goal. It sounds like a fine day for Tottenham, but when the dust settles fans will quickly realise they’re at a massive crossroads. The north London club have no manager, no director of football and no European action for next term - and rumours persist that Kane could depart too. Meanwhile, Sam Allardyce didn’t really come close to keeping Leeds up despite taking the fight to the final day. His side fell apart two minutes into each half after defensive errors and that has been the story of the last two seasons for them, this one proving too costly to recover from. How they rebuild and who they place in charge will determine whether the talent they unquestionably have in their ranks is enough to bounce straight back, or whether Leeds face another long fight to regain a place among the nation’s elite. Villa go from relegation fears to European hopefuls Unai Emery has done it. Mocked for so long in English football, yet the Spaniard has transformed Villa and provided fresh hope for perhaps a sleeping giant of English football. Back in Europe, in the Europa Conference League, having held their nerve here against Brighton to resist Tottenham, who claimed all three points against relegated Leeds, there is fresh vigour to this team. The noise and buzz around Villa Park illustrates the delight at the spectacular job Emery has executed. Jacob Ramsey is one of Europe's most exciting talents and his surge from deep led to Ollie Watkins' 15th goal of the season - enough to resist late Brighton resistance. Now Villans will dare to dream, with Emery, they have a coach with the experience and wisdom to spark a famous European adventure next season. Exactly why Liverpool fell short and Southampton fell down The game of the day in terms of excitement and goalmouth action was also an absolute irrelevance, with neither Southampton nor Liverpool able to go up or down than 20th and fifth respectively. It made for an entertaining encounter and an eventual 4-4 draw - but also showed where both teams have been lacking this season. The Reds led by two early on including a farewell Roberto Firmino goal, but defensive lapses, a lack of midfield power and some poor game management saw Jurgen Klopp’s side concede four without reply to the league’s worst side, before eventually clawing back a draw. That’s a big lesson to be learned from why they are outside the Champions League next term, having had a soft centre all year this time around. Saints, meanwhile, certainly fared better in attack on the day than they generally have this season, but shipping four on home turf to still not win a game points to where their own deficiencies have been. They have to rebuild for life in the second tier, after ending this term on a 13-match winless streak. Read More From Conte and Tuchel’s clash to Kane’s heroics – Premier League best moments Everton fans storm pitch before chants to ‘sack the board’ Easy in the end for Manchester City – same again next season? Leicester relegated despite ending season with victory over West Ham Leicester and Leeds down as Abdoulaye Doucoure stunner is enough to save Everton Granit Xhaka hits brace as Arsenal end season with big win over Wolves
2023-05-29 02:54
Leicester’s unexpected twist provides reminder of football’s new reality
One of the most remarkable stories in football now has another twist. Leicester City are relegated a mere seven years after winning this competition’s greatest title of all, their fate sealed by Abdoulaye Doucoure’s 57th-minute release at Everton. Dean Smith’s side had already done their job by going 2-0 up against West Ham United, which ensured this drastic fall for the club became one long wait. The pained anxiety of that manifested in three separate celebrations for Bournemouth goals at Goodison Park that hadn’t actually happened, their cheers quickly disrupted by frenzied checks of the phone. There was then the way the Everton game went on 10 minutes longer after a lengthy period of stoppage time. It just prolonged that hope, and made it even worse when confirmation finally came. As defeated-looking Leicester players checked their phones and then saluted the fans, West Ham United supporters celebrated that and their own forthcoming trip to Prague. It laid bare the cruelty of days like this, as memories of better days surrounded the whole stadium. Andrea Bocelli had famously sung “time to say goodbye” on that glorious evening back in May 2016, and while it presents a fitting line here, the goading West Ham fans were in no mood to be so poetic. “Going down” was the obvious one regularly sung, before the doubly cutting: “Say hello to Millwall! Say hello to Millwall!” It was in itself a reminder of the rarefied and glossy world that Leicester are leaving, so quickly going from the Premier League’s “model club” to an ultimate example of how quickly it can all fall apart in the game’s current economic landscape. The global economic landscape has played its part in that, with the Covid pandemic greatly affecting the owners’ duty-free business. That fed into a wider frustration within the club, that Brendan Rodgers made clear he was feeling from the very start of the season. It never really picked up. But none of that obscures the fact that Leicester have so many players that really shouldn’t have been in this situation at all. The line-up that has ultimately gone down - club legend Jamie Vardy symbolically starting on the bench - is one that should easily have been mid-table, and will now boost the squads of other Premier League teams. That, brutally, is no longer what Leicester are. And that despite having a better team than the one David Moyes started here to keep fresh for their Europa Conference final. It shouldn’t have gone this wrong. That was reflected in how there were a few boos when the final whistle went, even if they were drowned out by proud applause. It’s also more history in its own way. Leicester are the club to have the fifth-fastest relegation after winning a title since the second world war. In the Premier League, only Blackburn Rovers had it worse, at four years. It is quite a turn, that will now get more focus, but one of the issues was that there weren’t enough twists on this day itself. Leicester left themselves in too perilous a situation. The only real moment of drama was on 34 minutes, duly supplied by one of the players who is already most in demand. Harvey Barnes ran straight at the box to play a one-two with Kelechi Iheanacho, and then slide the ball past Lukasz Fabianski. It was a brilliant goal, and naturally produced a roar reminiscent of the day the Premier League trophy was presented here. It did put Leicester in a welcome if slightly strange position, though. They’d done their job, and just needed to hold firm, with all onus now on Everton. Even Leicester fans were watching the wrong game. There was a danger there as they lost urgency, until Wout Faes headed in a Youri Tielemans’s free-kick. By then, however, Everton had already scored. All of this was immaterial, including Pablo Fornals’s late goal. It was all dependent on one sudden twist. That is instead what this season has represented for Leicester. Nobody would have imagined it when they won the FA Cup just two years ago. They can still look to their dreams being fulfilled in 2016. They have had quite a run, beyond what many supporters get in a club’s entire history. It’s just that nobody expected it to be as brief as this. Leicester make history in another way. Their sensational story has a twist, albeit after no drama. Read More Why is BT Sport being rebranded to TNT Sports? Eurosport merger explained James Ward-Prowse, James Maddison and 16 Premier League transfer targets after relegation ‘It is theatre’: Inside the emotional chaos of a final-day Premier League relegation battle How the final day played out with Everton surviving relegation fight Relegation chances: What do Leeds, Everton and Leicester need to survive? Premier League relegation battle LIVE: Results and reaction as Everton survive
2023-05-29 02:28
Leicester relegated from Premier League seven years after winning title
Leicester have been relegated from the Premier League to the Championship after a dramatic final day of the 2022/23 season. Abdoulaye Doucoure’s thunderous strike earned Everton victory over Bournemouth, meaning Leicester’s win over West Ham was in vain. The results left Sean Dyche’s side two points clear of the Foxes, with Dean Smith’s team unable to close the gap facing them entering the final game of the campaign. The 2015/16 champions, who join Leeds and Southampton in next season’s Championship, started positively and a superb Harvey Barnes goal had them moving out of the relegation zone on goal difference after 34 minutes. Leeds, also two points from safety at the start of play, were dealt a blow early by Harry Kane’s opener for Tottenham. And Sam Allardyce’s hopes of pulling off another great escape were all but ended early in the second half when Pedro Porro grabbed a second for Spurs. But with tension elevated around Goodison Park, Doucoure enabled a release with his opener against the Cherries. Wout Faes gave Leicester breathing room with a second goal, but Bournemouth were unable to reply, leaving Everton safe and sending Leicester back to the Championship for the first time in nine years. “It’s relief,” Conor Coady said. “We don't want to make it a thing, we need to improve. It's the hardest season of my life, it's a lot of relief. “We had a plan, we worked so hard, it’s important. Loads of pressure, but relief, this giant of a football club going down, you don’t want to be part of that. This club has to rise and get better now. “It's been so hard emotionally, we have to be better. It needs to be better. I’m not imagining that [relegation], we are where we are. We don’t want this to happen again, it has to improve, this club is a giant.” Read More James Ward-Prowse, James Maddison and 16 Premier League transfer targets after relegation ‘It is theatre’: Inside the emotional chaos of a final-day Premier League relegation battle Premier League relegation battle LIVE: Latest scores and updates as Everton and Leicester battle for survival
2023-05-29 01:58
Steve Sarkisian attempting to create his own Nick Saban coaching rehab clinic at Texas
Steve Sarkisian is looking to bring some Nick Saban Alabama with him to Texas in the form of former Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst.The Nick Saban coaching rehabilitation clinic has opened up shop in Austin as part of Steve Sarkisian's Texas program.Sarkisian has hired former Wisconsin...
2023-05-29 01:49
Watch live: Bayern Munich celebrates 11th consecutive Bundesliga win
Bayern Munich are celebrating their record 11th German Bundesliga title at Munich's town hall today (28 May), after the team beat Köln 2-1 this weekend. Players will appear on the balcony to cheering crowds below, with fans taking over the streets of Munich to celebrate. An initial goal from Kingsley Coman in the 8th minute put the team 1-0 up, before Köln's Ljubicic equalized in minute 81. After a short time under Thomas Tuchel's leadership and a few last minute changes, Jamal Musialia’s 89th minute goal took the win for Munich. Borussia Dortmund were tipped to win the title initially, but a 2-2 draw with Mainz saw their dreams shattered. Munich will now face off in a friendly against Manchester City in July, and another with Liverpool in August. Click here to sign up for our newsletters. Read More Bayern Munich dramatically snatch Bundesliga title at the death as Dortmund slip up Borussia Dortmund vs Mainz LIVE: Latest Bundesliga updates Bundesliga title set for final-day drama with Dortmund one win away
2023-05-28 23:57