WREXHAM are looking to take another FA Cup scalp on Monday night when they travel to Championship side Blackburn.Betfred are offering new customers the chance to claim a stunning £40 in free bets and bonuses when they sign-up and stake a tenner on the cup this weekend.
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Wrexham over 1.5 goals at 2/1
Giant-killing very much on the cards so Wrexham win could be the choice. Blackburn had conceded at least two goals in seven consecutive games before just the once last weekend. Wrexham averaging 2 goals per game (54 in 27 games) in league. Decent value.
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TYSON FURY has accused Anthony Joshua of blowing a £66MILLION super-fight opportunity.After the WBC agreed to delay the purse bids for Fury vs mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte for a frustrating fourth time, the Gypsy King took aim at AJ on social media.
Tyson Fury has blasted Anthony Joshua for ruining a £66m super-fight opportunityCredit: Rex
AJ was the subject of a furious tirade by the Gypsy KingCredit: Getty
The 32-year-old Team GB legend has been offered a stepaside deal, in the region of £15m, to cancel his rematch against WBA, IBF and WBO world champ Oleksandr Usyk and let Fury, 33, meet him to decide an undisputed champion.
Part of the plan would have to include AJ getting first crack at all four of the belts – after the potential Saudi Arabia clash – but Whyte is the WBC’s long-waiting mandatory challenger and would not accept that lightly.
Fury’s dig suggests Joshua has refused the offer of a stepaside fee AND a guaranteed shot at the winner to fulfil the instant rematch clause he activated after losing to Usyk in September.
In his best American accent, Fury roared: “I had to do this video, Eddie Hearn and Anthony Joshua have to be the worst two damn businessmen in history. Today they lost 90 million dollars, god damn sons of b******.”
Almost every respected boxing pundit believes the stepaside deal is a no-brainer for AJ, especially as he is yet to confirm a new head trainer after parting with mentor Rob McCracken.
But such a strategic business move might harm his brand and reputation as a self-proclaimed throwback fighter.
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And Hearn confirmed that if he does allow Fury and Usyk to decide the first four-belt heavyweight king in history, it is likely to hurt him.
He said: “There has been an offer, there’s been several discussions with myself. I can’t rule it out, it’s not my job. AJ’s the boss – he will rule it out or not rule it out.
“He’s very smart about the plan. He won’t want to do it. Sometimes you have to think with your head. There is a smart play here somewhere but Anthony is not about the money.
“If the plan makes sense from a development point of view – working with a new trainer, maybe having a fight first, going into a much bigger fight – yeah, I can see the sense in it.
“But with Anthony it’s never been a case of, ‘Here’s some money, does it tempt you?’ Because he’s not about that, he’s a throwback fighter, he’s about legacy.
“All he’s thinking about at the moment is beating Oleksandr Usyk.”
A WBC statement said: “The World Boxing Council has received once again requests from the teams of Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte, to extend the period of free negotiations.
“The WBC has granted this final extension and If there is no agreement, a purse bid will be held this coming Friday, January 28.” More

DILLIAN WHYTE claimed he ‘bashed’ Tyson Fury around in sparring and ‘dropped him on multiple occasions’.The Brixton ace returned to the heavyweight division title picture with a brilliant rematch victory over Alexander Povetkin on Saturday.
Dillian Whyte has previously claimed he floored and ‘bashed up’ Tyson Fury in sparringCredit: Dave Thompson Matchroom Boxing
The Gypsy King slammed the Body Snatcher as a liar as he denied those claimsCredit: Reuters
He knocked out the Russian in Gibraltar in the fourth to gain revenge for his brutal defeat in August.
Despite him regaining the WBC interim belt, it looks like the 32-year-old Body Snatcher may still face a lengthy wait for his first world-title shot.
Champs Anthony Joshua and Fury have already agreed a whopping £200m two-fight deal to unify the division.
Whyte has been in this position before and it appears he is sick of waiting around, jokingly saying he would break AJ’s legs in order to take his place against the Gypsy King.
And he has every confidence he can become the first man to beat Fury after allegedly flooring him already.
Speaking during a previous appearance on The Boxing Show on Sky Sports News, he said: “He’s the one that come out and said he beat me up in the gym and stuff like that. I can tell you now, that didn’t happen.
“I don’t like telling sparring stories, but people in the game know. They know about me.
“Well, me and Tyson Fury sparred and I bashed him about and dropped him on multiple occasions. Simple as that.
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“If I was such an easy fight, why is he not in any rush to fight me? He said before beating Wilder, ‘When I beat Wilder, I’m going to give Dillian Whyte his title shot.’ He just talks rubbish. This is war, let’s go.”
The Body Snatcher added: “It makes me angry and it frustrates me because Tyson Fury refused to fight me in a mandated fight for the WBC diamond belt.
“And they took my mandatory position away and gave it to Tyson Fury after he fought Otto Wallin who was ranked around 1,000,000 in the world.
“It’s a joke, how can he fight Tom Schwarz and Otto Wallin and then be the WBC mandatory contender after I have been beating top-ten guys back-to-back?
The Body Snatcher is desperate for his shot at Tyson FuryCredit: REX
Dillian Whyte knocked out Alexander Povetkin in the fourth to gain revenge on Saturday for his shock August lossCredit: Mark Robinson Matchroom Boxing
“The fans and the boxing world need to put pressure on the WBC and Tyson Fury to fight me next, it’s a joke.
“I have been risking the No1 position since 2017, I have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds in sanctioning fees and won every WBC belt I have been eligible for and beaten two former world champions. It’s my turn.”
However, Fury seems to have a different recollection of events between him and Whyte and called the Londoner out as a liar.
He told BT Sport: “Dillian Whyte is a bum, untrue. Dillian Whyte couldn’t drop his granny, never mind the ‘Gypsy King.
“Who has Dillian Whyte ever dropped, Lucas Browne…please. Who else, who has he ever dropped?
“I’ve never seen him drop anyone.
“He even had to cheat Dereck Chisora out of a fight, grabbing him and holding him because Eddie Hearn told him to. What a bum…useless!”
Tyson Fury snatched the WBC crown from Deontay Wilder in brilliant fashion in February 2020Credit: Reuters
Dillian Whyte ranks his top five heavyweights in world and only puts himself THIRD behind Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua More

STEVE BRUCE was known as a dominating defender during his playing days. Having won three Premier League titles at Manchester United, Bruce made a name for himself as the Red Devils’ hard-nosed but brilliant captain.
Steve Bruce wrote three murder mystery booksCredit: Rex
Bruce won three Premier League titles at Manchester UnitedCredit: Getty
A trait which carried over into his managerial career.
However, underneath his outer shell, there was a surprising twist to the tale.
That is thanks to the former Newcastle and Aston Villa manager dabbling in the art of literacy with an epic trio of crime novels.
Bruce published three little-read football crime books suitably named: Striker!, Sweeper! and Defender!
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Originally published between 1999 and 2000, the books have become increasingly sought-after over the years after they re-emerged thanks to the work of Northern Irish writer Seamas O’Reilly.
A self-professed expert on Bruce’s career, O’Reilly was inspired to find the books thanks to his interest in “really terrible books”, as quoted by the BBC.
Not that Bruce is particularly proud of his work on the novels, with the man himself labelling them “a laughing stock”.
Bruce said: “It was a long time ago, and I’m not sure I want to be reminded of how bad they were.
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“Just because I got a GCSE in English, I thought I was going to be the next Dick Francis. It didn’t make any contribution at all to anyone’s income.
“It became a laughing stock, to be honest. I think they’re probably still on the shelves somewhere, and I bet you could probably pick one up for 99p.”
Indeed, when asked why he hasn’t written any more books in a 2019 interview with Sky Sports, Bruce replied: “Have you read them? Go and read them and you’ll understand why.”
Regardless, they have grown into cult classics, with a used paperback copy of his first book Striker! fetching as much as £249 on Amazon.
And that is some increase from the £12 the book was originally sold for.
The books themselves are written in the first person from the point of view of protagonist Steve Barnes.
O’Reilly loved his dive into the 127-page story told in Striker!, detailing the “mad stuff” that goes on.
Bruce’s first book Striker! was published in 1999Credit: Paragon Press Publishing
Striker! opens with Pat Duffy, the young Irish striker of Leddersford Town FC – a small but historic club aiming for promotion to the top flight – having been found stabbed to death in the dressing room.
Barnes, who is the manager of Town, is naturally among the suspects and launches his own investigation to get to the bottom of the mystery, all the while juggling his management of the team.
“The book is filled with kidnappings, betrayal and suspense,” O’Reilly explains.
The front cover of the book depicts the aftermath of the crime, with a player in a blue and white striped shirt lying on the floor next to the murder weapon.
Although Duffy does appear to be a giant based on his blown-up proportions while lying on a football pitch.
Barnes faces off with Irish mobsters and even finds himself in the sights of a sniper during a match.
‘Kidnappings, betrayal and suspense’
In the final four pages, Barnes has a ball shot from underneath his foot while standing in the technical area in a top-of-the-table clash with Fulham.
There is also a running gag throughout the book where Bruce writes in detail about the car Barnes is driving, even in the middle of an espionage mission.
At one point he writes: “I drive a Jaguar XJ8, 3.2, the sports version. It’s a very nice motor; 3.2 litre AJ-V8 all alloy engine.
“Classic colour interior theme, fluted leather seats, contrast colour keyed facia, figured walnut veneer. As good a motor as you can hope to drive.
“But not a car you’d choose when trying to follow a Ford saloon in a discreet manner…my registration, license and all other statutory details are fully up to date.”
The second book, Sweeper!, does not tone down on the drama levels either, with the plot centring around the kidnapping of the club’s janitor.
Sweeper! was described as the ‘magnum opus’ of Bruce’s novel collectionCredit: Paragon Press Publishing
O’Reilly goes so far as to declare Sweeper! the “magnum opus” of Bruce’s written work in the so-called “Bruniverse”.
The plot of Sweeper! sees Barnes take on Yugoslavian warlords, lesbian prostitutes, Nazi-hunting spies and more.
A particular highlight of O’Reilly’s is when Bruce makes a reference to his lack of international recognition – having never received an England cap – in one of the four kidnappings throughout the series.
After Barnes is kidnapped by British Secret Service agents, who then ask him to go undercover, O’Reilly explains that Barnes refuses to help, saying: “He tells them, ‘My country never wanted me’.”
“His reasoning for not helping counter-terrorism is not that he lacks training or expertise or that he’s a middle-aged football manager, it’s that he never got an international cap.”
One book in the series even sees Barnes take out a bad guy with a slide tackle.
‘Magnum opus of the Bruniverse’
But that isn’t to say the books don’t have criticism from the Derry-born Bruce superfan.
He explained: “There are so many strange decisions made in the writing of these books, such as the way the world is constructed.
“So, for instance, there’s fake names that stand in for real places, like Leddersford for Huddersfield and Mulcaster for Manchester.
“But, he also talks about Manchester United and mentions Alex Ferguson. It’s like reading a Batman comic where he takes a train from Gotham to New York.”
The third book is described as “incident-free” and “disappointing” by O’Reilly.
And one brutal comment on the Amazon review section for the book seems to agree, saying: “Does for the English language what the Luftwaffe did to Coventry.”
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Amazon reviews for the earlier books are far more positive.
One user commented on Striker!: “Ahead of its time, ahead of anyone’s time. So bad it’s great.”
A second remarked: “There is something about this book that makes it absolutely brilliant… even though it’s, err, awful!
“Hours that I will never have again, but I’m glad that I spent them reading this.”
One, perhaps tongue-in-cheek, review of Sweeper! says: “One cannot do justice to how effective and gripping Bruce’s writing style is. He is truly a modern-day Arthur Conan Doyle.”
While it seems likely that Bruce will not be adding to his library with any new works, O’Reilly believes he has read through the reviews.
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He added: “I do certainly like to think Steve Bruce has read the reviews.
“There’s just this image in my head of Bruce at home, rushing in from training, tapping away incessantly on his Remington in an oak-panelled study.”
Defender! rounded out the series when published in 2000Credit: Paragon Press Publishing More

JUNE’S Soccer Aid match to raise funds for Unicef has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The clash, pitching teams of celebrities and legends of the game against each other for a good cause, was due to take place at Manchester United’s Old Trafford. Eric Cantona was one of the stars on display in […] More