List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Manchester United travel to Liverpool on the final day of the season with their Women’s Super League title hopes still alive. United trail Chelsea by two points in the table and must hope relegation-threatened Reading beat the champions at home. Marc Skinner’s side, who were beaten by Chelsea in the FA Cup final two weeks ago, would need to beat Liverpool by at least six goals if Reading draw. Chelsea know victory against Reading will secure a fourth straight Women’s Super League title, as well as the double. Read More Reading vs Chelsea LIVE: Women’s Super League team news and line-ups from title decider Marc Skinner demands Man Utd focus on their own job in WSL season finale Marc Skinner bemused at lack of praise for Man Utd as they fight for WSL title

Magnus Carlsen returned to the highest levels of chess and winning ways after he enjoyed a break from the sport to play poker.

Johnny Rutherford and Gordon Johncock will always be linked to the 1973 Indianapolis 500

All eyes will be on the battle for survival and the scrap for the final European place on the final day of Premier League season on Sunday. Here, the PA news agency looks at the main talking points. Everton in the box-seat Everton are one of three clubs in danger, with two making the drop alongside already-relegated Southampton this weekend. But the Toffees at least have control of their own destiny heading into a Goodison Park clash against Bournemouth, knowing that a 70th-successive season in the top-flight awaits if they match the results of Leicester and Leeds. It promises to be a nervous afternoon, though, with Everton’s cause not helped by injury absentees Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Nathan Patterson and Ben Godfrey. Foxes’ future looks bleak Seven years after the charismatic Claudio Ranieri masterminded Leicester’s stunning Premier League title triumph, the Foxes look Championship-bound. They host West Ham knowing that victory over the Hammers might not be enough to keep them in the top division. Dean Smith’s team must win and hope Everton do not collect maximum points against Bournemouth, otherwise their fate will be sealed. It is all a far cry from May 7, 2016, when Ranieri and captain Wes Morgan held aloft the Premier League trophy. Leeds need a minor miracle Sam Allardyce faced mission improbable when he was parachuted in as Leeds manager with just four games of the season left after Javi Gracia was sacked. And so it has proved, with Allardyce overseeing one draw and two defeats so far. Nothing less than a win will do for Leeds against Tottenham at Elland Road and even then they need the results from both the Everton and Leicester matches to go their way. Battle for Europe Tottenham have their own targets to worry about during their trip to West Yorkshire. After spending much of the season battling for a Champions League spot, they could miss out on Europe altogether as they fight Aston Villa and Brentford for seventh and a place in the Europa Conference League. Villa are in pole position and know a win at home to Europa League-bound Brighton will be enough to secure European qualification for the first time since 2010. Anything less would open the door for Spurs, who last did not feature in continental competition in the 2009-10 campaign. Should both slip up, then Brentford can secure European football for the first time in their history if they manage to win at home to champions Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s balancing act What kind of City side awaits Brentford remains to be seen. With the Premier League title already won, City’s hopes of a trophy treble rest with the FA Cup final against Manchester United on June 3 then the Champions League final versus Inter Milan seven days later. It will be about finding a balance between resting players and avoiding rustiness ahead of those games, so rotation can be expected for Sunday’s trip. Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland could be among those rested, but if Haaland plays, it will be a last chance to extend his remarkable Premier League goalscoring record of 36 this term. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Aston Villa’s final step in European bid will be hardest – Unai Emery Ryan Mason ‘trusts the people making decisions’ at Tottenham ahead of key summer Thomas Frank inspired by ‘best coach’ Pep Guardiola’s work

Boss Unai Emery admits Aston Villa’s final step to return to Europe will be their hardest. Villa host Brighton on Sunday knowing victory would seal a European comeback for the first time since 2010-11. It would book seventh in the Premier League and a Europa Conference League play-off spot but Emery knows it is a tough test. “We have to be very ambitious and I am. I’m here trying to push everybody, to demand from everybody to get better playing and to take European places,” he said. “We have to take each step being strong and being passionate about how to do it. We are in this way. We are progressing very well. “I’m very, very happy with the players and their commitment, their character and they are responding very well. We are also connecting with our supporters. “We are in the first step. If we achieve our objective on Sunday, we will be very, very happy. “It’s the next step because we started by escaping from the bottom (of the table), we got into the top 10 and then we have the objective to be in the European places. “The most difficult step is to get it, but we have our objective. And then if we don’t, it’s not changing our idea or our mind about how we want to improve.” Brighton have already qualified for the Europa League, sealing sixth place with Wednesday’s 1-1 draw against Manchester City. Boss Roberto De Zerbi has impressed since replacing Graham Potter in September and Emery is an admirer. He said: “Football is changing so quickly. I’m 51 years old, I started coaching at 32, so I’ve had 19 years as a coach and manager. “Always I am very focussed on how I can improve each day to be today, better than yesterday, to be tomorrow, better than today. “It’s not only about my work or my experiences or my analysis, it’s about trying to watch other coaches. One of them is Roberto De Zerbi. “I like coaches who can show us something different tactically, offensively and defensively. In football, you have to be in the fast train because it moves so quickly.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live 5 talking points: Three clubs battle for Premier League survival on last day Ryan Mason ‘trusts the people making decisions’ at Tottenham ahead of key summer Thomas Frank inspired by ‘best coach’ Pep Guardiola’s work

Keith Tkachuk never played a game for the Florida Panthers, and hadn’t recorded an assist at the NHL level in nearly 13 years

It didn’t take long for Sam Bachman to make his big league debut

MONACO Having lived in Monte Carlo for nearly three decades David Coulthard knows a good bet when he

Football fans have marveled at the success that Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have had since they took over Wrexham and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson could be following in their footsteps. The former WWE champion turned Hollywood a-lister is reportedly in contact with a group looking to take over Southend United who currently play in the National League. Integral Sports Management is made up of local businessmen who are looking to purchase the club which has been up for sale since March following years of financial struggles. ISM is said to have made contact with The Rock's production company Seven Bucks Productions who might be interested in making a Welcome to Wrexham-style documentary about the club should the takeover go through. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Another actor potentially involved in the deal is Ray Winstone. The 66-year-old is a die-hard West Ham United fan but is a co-founder of ISM and will likely be involved with The Shrimpers should the purchase progress. Southend dropped out of the football league for the first time in their history in 2021 and have remained in the National League ever since. Financial troubles have rocked the club in recent years with a transfer embargo being in place since September due to money owed to HMRC. Full-time office staff haven't been paid for their work in March and April and have until July 12 to pay off the £250,000 debt that they owe. Like many football fans, Southend supporters will be more than aware of the success that celebrity owners can bring having played against Wrexham for the past two years. The Welsh club secured promotion back to the EFL after 18 years away earlier this year, spearheaded by the investment and interest that Reynolds and McElhenney have brought to the team. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Ryan Mason has trust in the key decision-makers at Tottenham to get the big calls right this summer. Spurs’ acting head coach Mason will take his squad to relegation-threatened Leeds on the final day in what is set to be his last fixture in charge. Eighth-placed Tottenham remain without a permanent manager or managing director of football and could miss out on Europe for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign unless they better Aston Villa’s result and match Brentford’s on Sunday. Crunch decisions are required by chairman Daniel Levy and the board, with a promise already made to supporters over the style Spurs will try to play next season. Last Saturday’s programme notes from Levy pledged the team will go back to “football you will love to come and watch” after the recent pragmatism and counter-attacking of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. Mason feels a stable brand of football will help, and he said: “We’ve probably had two or three different styles of football in the last two or three years and I don’t think that is good for any squad of players or for fans. “When you lose people, lose coaches, lose players, lose members of staff, the impact is huge if you keep going from different things. “Like I say, going forward it really is important and we see it in the Premier League, we see it across the leagues, I want people to know who Tottenham are, know what a Tottenham team looks like and certainly know what a Tottenham player looks like. “This is just how I view the situation as it is. Obviously there will be loads of conversations in the summer about going forward. “There is a lot of people here who really care and want the club to get back to where we want, where we expect and where we hope to be. “Them conversations and decisions I am sure will be made in the summer. I trust the people making them decisions.” Quizzed about how the managerial search could impact Spurs’ transfer business, Mason admitted the club need a new man in place before they can go after targets. If you want to be successful on the pitch then everyone working for the organisation within the football club has to be on board with what we are and who we are. Ryan Mason “There is work because we have a big squad, a lot of players on loan and decisions to make,” he said. “The most important work is probably away from the transfer window right now because you need a manager in place, you need commitment, you need an idea to know where you go. “You can’t do transfer business without a manager because it might not fit his idea. At the moment I believe we need an idea of what we want to do, who we want to be and stick to it. Recruit people for that and ultimately recruit players for that.” There remains uncertainty over the future of Harry Kane, who is approaching the final year of his Spurs contract. Mason would not be drawn on what next for the Tottenham forward but insisted it is imperative every club has a long-term plans in place. He added: “For any player, manager, member of staff at this football club, when one leaves it’s important to have a succession plan in place. “So, when people do leave, the next one comes in and the impact isn’t so big. That’s not just speaking about Harry. That’s speaking about other players. “For me, it’s really important that there’s an identity in all departments. “If you want to be successful on the pitch then everyone working for the organisation within the football club has to be on board with what we are and who we are. “I hope going forward that’s definitely the case.”

Brentford boss Thomas Frank has described Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola as the best coach in the modern era and an inspiration ahead of Sunday’s game at the Gtech Community Stadium. City’s recent Premier League title win was their fifth under Guardiola’s stewardship and they will look to build on that in the FA Cup and Champions League finals next month. Frank, whose side won at City in November, talked up treble-chasing Guardiola’s impact on the game which he admitted has inspired him during his managerial career. “He’s top class, after the game he said it was well deserved (Brentford’s win). I only come across him when he shows class all the way through and I look forward to congratulating him on winning the Premier League,” Frank said. “Many people have spoken about Pep Guardiola for good reasons. I think he is in the modern era, the best coach, most innovative, he’s developed the game massively. “I studied him a lot when he was at Barcelona and followed him closely, I’ve been inspired by his work and he’s definitely an inspiration.” Brentford will have to deal with record-breaking striker Erling Haaland, who has netted 36 Premier League goals in his debut campaign. Frank lauded the 22-year-old for his impact on English football since his transfer from Borussia Dortmund. “Haaland added a different dimension to City, he is so good in the box,” Frank added. “If you see the disallowed goal against Brighton he makes four or five movements before the cross comes in, it’s very rare for me to see this from a striker. “He’s always on the move which is so difficult to defend against, he is also always focussed and believes the ball will come in for every chance. “A top finisher who can use the left foot, right foot and header but I think the biggest thing he’s given them is the pace in behind. “I think it’s very impressive the amount of goals he’s scored which has destroyed the Premier League and there is probably even more to come. “I know he broke the record this year and he’ll probably break it again next year.” Frank highlighted the quality in City’s squad as he tried to predict which line-up Guardiola will pick. He said: “They have 22 unbelievable players so who is the best? (Ruben) Dias or (Aymeric) Laporte? I don’t know that, I am not sure even Pep knows that, that’s two top players. “Who’s on the wing? (Jack) Grealish, (Phil) Foden, (Riyad) Mahrez or (Bernardo) Silva? I myself wouldn’t know who to pick so they put world-class players out there and we need to top perform, our fans need to top perform and we need to finish off the season in style.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits he is struggling to process having nothing to play for on the final day of the season. A year on from missing out on an unprecedented quadruple his side head to already-relegated Southampton knowing they will finish fifth irrespective of results on Sunday. That has already started to come into his thoughts for his team selection, after confirming it “makes sense” to make changes, but he is confident his side will finish on a high. “I am not used to games on the last matchday when everything is sorted. I am used to games when everything is at stake but we play this game to win the game,” he said. “This is completely new to me. We are fifth, they are relegated. Usually (at the end of the season) we have to win, it is a final, but I want to do the right thing and didn’t decide yet. “I want to line up the right team but to the outside world, I want to line up a team that is ready for the game, for the 110, 112km they have to run, all the challenges. “We will not take risks with players, that makes no sense.” Mohamed Salah was the first player to express his devastation at not qualifying for the Champions League when Manchester United’s win over Chelsea on Thursday consigned Liverpool to the Europa League. Klopp admits in the immediate aftermath of that realisation it is difficult to put a positive spin on things. This is completely new to me. We are fifth, they are relegated. Usually (at the end of the season) we have to win, it is a final. Jurgen Klopp The club face losing around £50million in Champions League revenue – a “big problem” according to Klopp – but he is confident missing out will provide added motivation. “It has to. We all think like that. This is not the season we want. We know that for a while,” he added. “I really think this was not a season we will talk about. Yes we failed to give the people more to enjoy but we had our moments. “It would have been a ‘normal’ season if we ended up fourth, not great but still qualification for the Champions League, but that is the big disappointment. “I am here for seven and a half years – it is a really long time – and that things always go in the right direction is not likely, there are dips. Usually after three years you change manager. “It is a really good thing I am here for that long but a challenge as well as you have to invent yourself new, that is what we started now, and that is super-exciting. “In a difficult year I felt the unity between us and the supporters, it is so important people really appreciated it. “This season was not great and from a financial point of view that is actually the only problem but a big problem in football. “But we have European nights next year but instead of Tuesday or Wednesday it’s a Thursday. Who cares?” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Frank Lampard will be ‘back at Chelsea many times’ as a fan after interim role Ruben Selles urges Southampton to end wretched season on positive note England will keep embracing risks during Ashes despite ‘blip’ – Daryl Mitchell