Philippa Kaur

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    Manchester United vs Bournemouth: Get £50 in free bets for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Betfred

    MANCHESTER UNITED go into the weekend in THIRTEENTH and need to build on last week’s Manchester derby win when Bournemouth visit on Sunday.And brand new Betfred customers can claim a smashing £50 in free bets when they sign-up and stake a tenner on the intriguing Premier League showdown.Find The Sun’s betting publishing principles hereMan Utd vs Bournemouth: Get £50 free bets HERE*How to claim..Betfred welcome offerVisit the Betfred website HERE*Register an account using the Promo Code: BETFRED50Deposit £10 using a Debit CardPlace your first bet of £10 or more on any qualifying Sportsbook markets, at odds of Evens or greaterOnce that bet has settled, Betfred will credit your account with £50 in Free BetsBetfred: Get your £50 in free bets – Claim here*Man Utd vs Bournemouth: Get £50 free bets HERE*New to Betfred? Then you can claim this incredible offer.Simply visit the Betfred website using this link HERE* and register a new account using the Promo Code: BETFRED50Then you just need to deposit and stake £10 on any football market at odds of Evens or greater.When that first bet has settled — win or lose — Betfred will credit your account with the following free bets;3 x £10 to use on any Sportsbook Markets2 x £10 to use on Accumulators (4+ selections)FREE BET SIGN UP DEALS FOR FOOTBALLRemember to gamble responsiblyA responsible gambler is someone who:Establishes time and monetary limits before playingOnly gambles with money they can afford to loseNever chase their lossesDoesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressedGamcare – www.gamcare.org.ukGamble Aware – www.gambleaware.orgFind our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk*New customers only. Register with BETFRED50. Deposit £10+ via Debit Card and place first bet £10+ at Evens (2.0)+ on Sports within 7 days to get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement. 7-day expiry. Eligibility & payment exclusions apply. T&Cs apply. More

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    England World Cup winner George Eastham dies aged 88 as tributes flood in to Stoke City legend who changed game forever

    ENGLAND World Cup winner George Eastham has died at the age of 88, as tributes flood in.His former club Stoke City paid tribute to the footballing legend, who was part of England’s 1966 winning squad.George Eastham has passed away at the age of 88Credit: PAHe was part of England’s 1966 World Cup winning squadCredit: PAGeorge also played for Newcastle UnitedCredit: PAGeorge later went on to manage Stoke CityCredit: PAMidfielder and inside forward George played for Newcastle United, Arsenal and Stoke City in the English top-flight league in a professional career spanning two decades, and earned 19 international caps.He is also remembered for a three-week trial at High Court which changed football’s old “retain and transfer” system forever.The club’s message read: “The Stoke City Football Club family is immensely saddened by the passing of club legend George Eastham OBE at the age of 88.”George was signed by the Potters for a £35,000 fee shortly after being part of England’s 1966 World Cup winning squad.Read more Football News”He went on to represent the club for eight seasons in the top division of the English game and was a two-time FA Cup semi-finalist in red and white.”He is perhaps best remembered as the man whose goal secured the 1972 League Cup in a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Wembley.”The Potters will wear black armbands for the fixture against Sheffield Wednesday (on Saturday) as a mark of respect.”Our thoughts are with George’s family and friends at this difficult time.”Most read in FootballGeorge made 194 league appearances for Stoke over eight seasons, and went on to manage the club between 1977-78.After his contract at Newcastle expired in 1959, he went on strike for eight months to force the club to let him join Arsenal – as the system at that time allowed clubs to keep a player’s registration as a means to force them to stay.He later sat in the High Court for a three-week trial against Newcastle and the Football Association.The judge found the old transfer system to be unreasonable, leading to major reforms in the British transfer market and the establishment of a tribunal to deal with disputes.The Blackpool-born legend told the Mail last year: “You were a slave to the club.”Going to court needed to be done. It needed to come out from the shadows. “Players needed to be getting the money they were supposed to get. Everybody’s getting the just rewards now.”George received the award of an “Officer of the Order of the British Empire” (OBE) in 1973 for his services to football.George Eastham has passed away at the age of 88Credit: PAGeorge played alongside Les Cocker and George Cohen for EnglandCredit: PAGeorge next to Everton’s Ray WilsonCredit: PAGeorge before a World Cup qualifying match in 2009Credit: Reuters More

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    Enzo Maresca braced for wave of unsettled Chelsea stars seeking January transfer escape including ex-England ace

    ENZO MARESCA is braced for a wave of unsettled Chelsea stars knocking on his door next month.Finishing top of the Conference League table means European football can be parked until March.Enzo Maresca knows some Chelsea players may ask for a January transferCredit: GettyBen Chilwell could be on the move after being frozen out by the new bossCredit: PABut it brings with it a dilemma over what to do with his second-string squad struggling for game time.There are also deep-frozen players like Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka for whom the January transfer window offers a chance of escape.Boss Maresca said: “There are players that unfortunately they didn’t play a lot with us in all the competitions, like Chilwell, like Carney.“Probably they are the first that want to leave, because they work every day, they train every day, they want to play games and if they don’t play games they are thinking of leaving.READ MORE ON FOOTBALL“For each player it’s a different situation.“So we’re going to see if some of them are coming to knock on the door and say I want to leave.“I’m not worried about the next three months. The only thing I can say is that we have many games.“If they do the right things, if they work properly, for sure they’re all going to have a chance to play games. We will try to find a solution.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS“Next week we have three games. Then in January the FA Cup will start.“Game by game we’re going to try to pick the best 11. The ones that we think are the right ones for that game. And then we’ll see.”Enzo Maresca breaks silence on Mykhailo Mudryk’s failed drugs test and gives update on his Chelsea futureMaresca has trimmed a squad which totalled 43 at one stage. But while the numbers are down he still has players like £56million Christopher Nkunku — who was pelted with toilet roll by Shamrock fans in Thursday’s European clash — confined to Conference League starts with Premier League appearances limited.To a lesser extent, it is the same with £38.4m forward Joao Felix.They are expensive and ambitious players to have kicking their heels for three months.Chelsea have won eight games in a row — their best run for eight years.They can go top if they win at Everton tomorrow, even if it is just for a few hours until leaders Liverpool face Tottenham.Whatever happens, they are guaranteed to be in the top two at Christmas for the first time since 2016 — when they went on to become champions.They have won the title on all five occasions they have been No 1 at Christmas — and never done it the four times they were second on December 25.Maresca has Felix fit again but is still without midfielder Romeo Lavia and defender Wesley Fofana with injuries.Crocked skipper Reece James was due to join training for the first time since his latest hamstring setback.Maresca added: “We try to focus on the game, not on the consequence that we can be leaders for a few hours.“The target is always the same; prepare the game to win the game. And then we’ll see.READ MORE SUN STORIES“But I think Everton’s stadium is not only tough for Chelsea. I’ve been there many times, it’s tough for any club. But we’re going to see.“If we win, Liverpool have that pressure. It’s more a question for them.”Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix have largely been limited to starts in the cupsCredit: GettyChelsea will not play in the Conference League again until MarchCredit: Getty More

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    Gary Lineker is being replaced by two women and a man on Match of the Day – BBC should be proud to lead the charge

    THE BBC inclination to employ ever more women in jobs that were once male  territory has evoked not even a hum of male irritation.Gary Lineker is to be replaced by two women and a man on Match of the Day . . .Gary Lineker will step down as Match of the Day host at the end of this seasonCredit: PAGabby Logan will form one third of a new presenting trio replacing the former England strikerCredit: RexReaction: So what!Whether or not three-for-one presenter ratio will work is to become clear after the trio start next season, even if the company’s accountants approve the division of Lineker’s £1.3million salary.Money well earnt and deserved in my opinion.The fact I like this increasing number of women commentators should be no surprise, for when I moved into football 32 years ago women were rarer than a hen’s dentist.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLSuch a short time later women are acknowledged as players both on the pitch and in the offices. Only with the whistle or in men’s football management are they rare. But in press boxes, behind microphones and contributing knowledgeably on television, they are as commonplace as they are in boardrooms, politics and executive positions.In several aspects BBC can be very proud to have led the charge away from attitudes that once were summed up in the insult “monstrous regiment of women”. Most read in FootballKelly Cates and Gabby Logan are both outstanding broadcasters.They will work on the show in rotation with Mark Chapman, already a BBC stalwart.Gary Lineker reveals he turned DOWN huge ITV show as he reveals salary demand for reality showsThey are a capable front line to follow the former England striker who will have fronted the show for 25 years. He has been witty and fearless. Criticisms only began seriously after he was revealed to be the corporation’s highest earner.Both Cates and Logan are daughters of league and international footballers, Kenny Dalglish, one of Scotland’s greatest, and Terry Yorath of Wales.Critics will approve their background and wait upon their merits.Kelly Cates has established a formidable reputation as one of Sky’s finest presentersCredit: GettyLogan is probably best known. She ousted male presenters at several Olympic Games and remains a brisk and skilled regular at big events, and deservedly so.Cates has worked on BBC radio and TV, mainly on Sky, for many years and is as slick and personable as you would expect in a skilled presenter.If theirs is a semi-takeover then even more striking was the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year, which on Tuesday featured three women, Clare Balding, Alex Scott and (of course) Gabby Logan.Can you name the famous fathers?As Olympic 800 metres gold medallist Keely Hodgkinson became the fourth consecutive female winner of the top prize and, on the night, beat any competition for the most daring dress.Men could only hope their duties did not include the washing up afterwards.The battle for equality is not won yet but the tide is sweeping us forward.It won’t be too long, I suspect, before the US has a female president.After all, even the Garrick Club which defined itself as a club for “men of refinement” has just opened the door to women. It may take some while for one of us to become Pope, Russia’s leader, or to chuck away forced hijabs in Iran but most of the West is now wide open to the new order.And what a shocking waste of human resources the past has been.As long ago as the Second World War, women showed they could shoulder martial discipline as well as intellectual pursuits.The days when us women were nurses but not doctors, are over.READ MORE SUN STORIESWe might not have as much muscle but we have proved that we carry so much else . . . the ability to organise, to lead, to plan and to have children and give birth to every tax payer on the planet.Quite some contribution. More

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    Mykhailo Mudryk ‘pictured in Saudi Arabia for Usyk v Fury’ days after Chelsea star suspended for positive drugs test

    CHELSEA star Mykhailo Mudryk has reportedly been photographed in Saudi Arabia, days after he was suspended for failing a drugs test.Mudryk, 23, was snapped with a Chelsea fan YouTuber, who shared the image on social media.Chelsea star Mykhailo Mudryk has failed a drugs test and faces a four-year banCredit: GettyThe Chelsea ace is thought to have flown to Riyadh to support fellow Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in his blockbuster rematch with Tyson Fury.The YouTuber – known only as Shargi – also reported a brief chat with the £88million winger.He claimed he told Mudryk: “Chelsea fans from all over the world trust you that you did not take a performance-enhancing substance. We love you very much and we trust in your returnAnd the fan reports that the Chelsea star replied: “Thank you very much, I hope everything is gonna be fine.”READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThe Ukrainian winger tested positive for a banned substance in October and is set for a lengthy ban of up to four years.Mudryk denied knowingly taking meldonium, which was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency banned list in 2016. It can apparently allow the body to “use oxygen sparingly and quickly restoreenergyto prepare for new loads of physical stress.”Meldonium is widely used in Eastern Europe and has been on the banned list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) since 2016.Most read in FootballMudryk has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for meldoniumCredit: Getty Mudryk released a statement on Tuesday morning insisting he has never “knowingly used any banned substance.”He said: “I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to The FA contained a banned substance”.“This has come as a complete shock as I have NEVER knowingly used any banned substances or broken any rules, and am working closely with my team to investigate how this could have happened”.Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has come out in support of the £88million signing and believes he will return to the team.He said: “We all believe Mudryk is innocent.“I don’t think Misha’s Chelsea career is over. I think he will come back. “We don’t know when, that is the only doubt we have in this moment.“But for sure, he will be back.”What drug did Mudryk take?By SunSport’s Joshua JonesMYKHAILO MUDRYK returned a positive sample for a drugs test in October.The Chelsea winger could face a ban for up to four years – because the drug was a performance-enhancing substance.It is alleged Mudryk had the drug meldonium in his system.Meldonium – aka mildronate – is a metabolic modulator similar to insulin and is widely used in Eastern Europe.It is used in heart disease therapy but is also claimed to enable athletes to withstand greater stress, use oxygen more sparingly and restore energy levels quickly.Meldonium was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency banned list in January 2016 following its high prevalence at the 2015 European Games in Baku.Just months later, former tennis world No1 and Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova was banned for two years by the International Tennis Federation – although this was later cut to 15 months on appeal.Sharapova had been taking the drug for ten years for various health issues and claimed she was unaware it had been added to the banned list.Also in 2016, Russian boxer Alexander Povetkin was found to have traces of meldonium in his system before he was due to fight fellow heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder. More

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    Inside Brentford’s mad home run with Bees on track to obliterate Chelsea’s record from Double-winning season

    THOMAS FRANK is embracing Brentford’s reputation as the Premier League’s kings of home entertainment.And the Bees boss vowed: “We want to be even MORE attacking at our fortress.”Yoane Wissa celebrates with Brentford boss Thomas FrankCredit: PABryan Mbeumo and strike partner WissaCredit: GettyGtech Community Stadium fans have seen a whopping 40 GOALS in eight top-flight games so far, ahead of today’s clash with Nottingham Forest.Spread over a full season, that average of five per game would smash the record of 82 goals set at Chelsea in their Double-winning season of 2009-10. And if it carries on at the same rate, the Gtech tally could end up close to 100 goals — a thought that lit up Frank’s eyes.The Dane, 51, said: “That would be quite a story, huh?READ MORE IN football“Maybe it’s a little bit linked to us being too open, you never know. But I want us to be as offensive as possible.“We did it in the Championship. For the two years I was in charge before promotion we were the top scorers.“When I talk about having a little bit more control in the games, it’s more about whether we can get to a position where we can look to play a ball in behind, or spread it across, or maybe go on the counters.“But I like to play quite open games. That gives us opportunities, because we have great players that can exploit that space, with way we’ve been building the squad over the last four years.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS“That has given us this opportunity now. The structure, everything in the club, makes us want to go even more offensive.”Frank points to Mikkel Damsgaard, Kevin Schade and 19-goal dynamic duo up front Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wisse as summing up a philosophy he has carried since he was a youngster.Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo shows his skills on the training pitch He added: “I’ve always studied the game massively and for many, many years, I’ve been most attracted to more offensive football.“I always looked a little bit at the Ajax team, the total football idea, and then it was Barcelona, the first Dream Team under Johan Cruyff — which of course also had Michael Laudrup, another Danish player, at the heart of it.“So I watched all those games, incredible. And then, of course, Pep took them to another level.“The first for me was Morten Olsen. He was the head coach of Denmark for 15 years and then was in Cologne and Ajax.“First because he was Danish, in the national team.“He was a centre-half as a player, although more of a librero, the guy who was driving through the lines himself, very offensively minded.”As a coach he was the one who first came up with the 4-2-3-1 formation, with very wide wingers. “He was a little bit ahead of his time in many ways and a big inspiration for me.“But I was also inspired by watching what Jurgen Klopp did at Liverpool.“They were the most difficult team to play against from a defensive side because they attacked from all angles.“Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal as well. I liked some of that, with Bergkamp and Henry, Ljungberg, Pires . . . that was some fantastic football as well.“I got that inspiration and tried to merge it into my own blueprint.”Frank is one of the Prem’s great showmen on the sidelines, too, a whirling dervish in the dugout, kicking every ball and seeking to engage the Brentford fans.Excitement is his demand, although he conceded it might not bring the biggest prizes.’We like to be entertaining’Frank said: “Hopefully, you can be a great entertainer and a great winner at the same time.“Ultimately it is all about winning, no doubt about that. Winning is the most important thing.“So we’ve been looking into it quite a bit. Are we too open? Is that why we’re giving too much away? Do we need to adjust a tiny bit?“I don’t think you can achieve anything massively big without also being quite solid at the back.“We saw it with Liverpool when they won the championship. They’d been close but they bought Alisson and Van Dijk and ‘boom!’ — suddenly they had one of the best defences in the league.“City and Arsenal have done things a little bit the same at times and it is extremely important.“But we like to be entertaining if we can. There’s been quite a few games where we scored and then immediately concede, scored and conceded again.“Then we’ve been good enough to score the third one and finally be on top and in control of the games.READ MORE SUN STORIES“I’d like to have a few more matches like the Leicester game, where we’re winning 4-1, that’ll be nice — and then I’d be a little bit more calm on the touchline.“But we are playing against some good teams.” More

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    England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford downs shots and parties in same bar as Lauryn Goodman during wild night out in London

    ENGLAND goalkeeper Jordan Pickford downed “shot after shot” with party girl Lauryn Goodman and pals during a wild night out.An onlooker said that Pickford, who has two children with wife Megan Davison, was doing “slammer after slammer”.Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford bought shots and partied with Lauryn Goodman during a wild night out in LondonCredit: GettyLauryn has two children with Manchester City and England ace Kyle WalkerCredit: AlamyHe was seen buying drinks for team-mates and Love Island celeb Lauryn, 33, at upmarket hotspot Bagatelle in Mayfair, West London.She has two children with Manchester City and England ace Kyle Walker, who was wed to Annie Kilner.An onlooker said: “Jordan’s missus Megan might not be best pleased to know Jordan was partying alongside Lauryn given her track record with Kyle.“Megan knows Annie too from England games so it was amusing to see him buying shots for people at Bagatelle, including Lauryn.”READ MORE ON FOOTBALLEverton stopper Pickford, 30, propped up the restaurant’s bar on Sunday alongside a handful of other Toffees players.The onlooker added: “There was no awkwardness, everyone in the room was having the best night and Jordan later moved on to Mistress of Mayfair with everyone.“Jordan was the life and the soul of the party and was splashing the cash, doing slammer after slammer.”Pickford was in the capital following Everton’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal last Saturday. Most read in FootballThe following day he went to Winter Wonderland before going to Bagatelle.The onlooker said: “He made an absolute wonder save in their match against Arsenal so was clearly in the mood for a celebration.”But a second source added: “Jordan had no idea the shots he bought were drunk by Lauryn. When the players realised she was there, they asked security to move her.”Lauryn was in London to meet MP Peter Kyle to discuss issues around the Child Maintenance Service.Kyle Walker and ex-lover Lauryn Goodman in fresh row over intercom security system at her £2.4m homePickford is married to his long-time partner, Megan DavisonCredit: Alpha PressKyle Walker was married to Annie Kilner when he fathered two children with LaurynCredit: GettyJordan didn’t know he was buying shots for Lauryn, claim teammatesCredit: Getty More

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    Mario Lemina and Co’s disrespectful antics are just embarrassing – deal with it the old school way and be done with it

    A REAL team of fighters do not get involved in the sort of disrespectful antics Wolves have recently.Mario Lemina was pushing his own team-mates and coaches after they lost to West Ham this month, and then last weekend Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri clashed with Ipswich players and staff after falling to a late defeat.Mario Lemina clashed with team-mate Toti GomesCredit: GettyMario Lemina was held back by team-mate Toti GomesCredit: GettyIf something like that happens once, you go: Right, that’s just someone losing their cool.It’s not the right way to go about things, but sometimes emotions spill over, especially when you are under that much pressure or in a relegation battle.But for it to happen in back-to-back weeks, it looked like they were just reacting off Gary O’Neil after he asked for more ‘fight’ from his team.That is not what he meant.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLWe’re footballers, not tough guys. You want to be a boxer or a fighter? Go watch a proper fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk tonight.Get in the ring with them, I dare you.I wouldn’t even use the word ‘fight’ to describe what those players did.It’s petulance. It stinks of a team that is needing leadership and direction from both the top of the club and on the pitch.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSYou want to do it properly? Go old school and do what we used to do back in the day, even if it was our own team-mate we had a disagreement with.Get down the tunnel, into the boot room, have someone hold the door shut, one-on-one for a few minutes, then shake hands and it is finished.Alan Shearer left red-faced and fuming after botching question about his own career The next morning, it was back to work and we didn’t speak about it again.If it lasted longer than 30 seconds, people would dive in and break it up, but often it was just three or four punches to blow off some steam, and that happened a few times a season.But those involved at Wolves were pretending to be something they’re not, pretending to be up for a fight by getting themselves involved in something. It is embarrassing.If you fight after the final whistle, it says to me that you don’t care about fighting for the ball or for tackles or for the win during a game.And if they really were that hard or tough or up for a fight, they wouldn’t be doing what they did.It’s like that friend who says you can trust him. If you have to tell me, I don’t think I should trust you.As the saying goes: It’s easier for a nice guy to pretend to be tough than it is for a tough guy to pretend to be nice.And this Wolves group, they’re not tough, they’re just nice kids, nice people.If you fight after the final whistle, it says to me that you don’t care about fighting for the ball or for tackles or for the win during a game.Troy Deeney You wouldn’t be scared to bits if you came across them in a dark alley, would you?I saw Lemina having a go at the assistant, Shaun Derry, at West Ham.I tell you what, if Lemina had tried that on Derry a few years ago, he would have been put on the ground.And then I saw Craig Dawson try to carry Ait-Nouri down the tunnel to calm him down.As a whole, there is just a lack of respect across that whole team. There should be a genuine, healthy fear and respect of senior players or leaders in any dressing room.I saw a few of those incidents close up during my career, especially during my early days with Walsall.After something like that, we would be terrified knowing the manager would tear us a new one or the captain would have us up against the wall after making such fools of ourselves.I don’t sense that happening now. Respect your elders.But saying that, it seemed to me like the players actually liked O’Neil before he got sacked.READ MORE SUN STORIESIt wasn’t like they ever quit on him. There were so many times they could have.They followed him and liked him and respected him and didn’t want him to go.Rayan Ait-Nouri was restrained by Craig DawsonCredit: Rex More