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      Watford players ‘openly celebrate Emmanuel Dennis’ Nottingham Forest transfer in dressing room’

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      WATFORD players “openly celebrated” Emmanuel Dennis’ departure to Nottingham Forest, according to reports. The striker, 24, completed his £20million transfer to the Premier League new boys on Saturday.
      Emmanuel Dennis completed his £20m transfer to Nottingham Forest this weekendCredit: Getty
      Some Watford players are said to be delighted that Emmanuel Dennis has left the clubCredit: Getty
      But according to the Daily Mail, the squad at Vicarage Road were delighted to see the back of him.
      It is said the dressing room “will be a far more harmonious place” following his departure.
      And the report adds several members of the Watford team were not afraid to express their delight once he had left.
      Dennis only joined the Hornets last summer and scored ten goals in the relegation campaign.
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      He failed to score in his two Championship appearances this term before sealing his switch back to the top flight.
      Rob Edwards’ side remain unbeaten with two wins and a draw to sit third in the table.
      Dennis, meanwhile, will need to try and displace Taiwo Awoniyi up front for Steve Cooper’s Forest.
      The seven-cap Nigerian forward, who scored twice in the Bernabeu for Club Brugge in 2019, will have watched his compatriot Awoniyi score the winner in the 1-0 win over West Ham on Sunday.
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      The 25-year-old – another of the 14 first-team arrivals at the City Ground – bundled in just before half-time before Dean Henderson saved Declan Rice’s penalty to secure Forest’s first points of the season.
      Cheikhou Kouyate and Remo Freuler also signed over the weekend while Neco Williams, Jesse Lingard, Harry Toffolo, Lewis O’Brien and Henderson were among those who starred against the Hammers.
      Fellow Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi bundled in the only goal against West HamCredit: Getty More

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      Watch QPR score dramatic injury-time equaliser as GOALKEEPER Seny Dieng heads home against Sunderland

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      QPR scored a dramatic injury-time equaliser… thanks to GOALKEEPER Seny Dieng’s incredible header.The Rs’ stopper, 27, joined the attack as they desperately looked to salvage a point away at Sunderland.
      Seny Dieng got up brilliantly to make connection with a clean headerCredit: Getty
      It nestled inside the far post as Anthony Patterson dived helplesslyCredit: Getty
      The QPR players mobbed their goalkeeper for rescuing a 2-2 drawCredit: Getty

      They had just pulled one back in the 87th minute through Ilias Chair’s free-kick for 2-1 to set up a nervy ending for the home Black Cats fans.
      And their biggest fears came true thanks to Dieng’s magical moment.
      The Hoops had a corner that was only half cleared and recycled.
      So when the ball was crossed in from the left channel by Chair, Dieng rose highest unchallenged in the middle of the area.
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      And he made the perfect connection like an experienced striker by glancing it delightfully into the far corner, giving his opposite number Anthony Patterson no chance.
      It sparked wild scenes from the 904-strong army of away fans who made the long journey up from West London.
      The Swiss-born Senegal goalkeeper appeared cool as a cucumber as he trotted back to his own goal after the heroic goal – similar to Alisson’s for Liverpool last year.
      But manager Michael Beale was unsurprisingly buzzing with the incredible finish from the man he wants stopping them at the other end.
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      Beale said: “It was a fantastic header – Les [Ferdinand, QPR director of football] would be happy with that one.
      “He finishes it really well, it’s actually really good technique, so well played to him.
      “He’s very modest, so he’s calmed down in there, but his team-mates are making a fuss of him.
      “I believe he’s one of the best goalkeepers in this league, I think he’s destined for really big things and we’re delighted to have him.
      “The effort from them [fans] is incredible – it’s lovely to reward them.
      “I hope they were still here when Seny scored, I hope some of them didn’t get away early because they’d have missed a wonderful one.” More

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      Coventry forced to call off match versus Wigan as pitch ‘not safe’ as club blames lack of investment

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      COVENTRY CITY have postponed their Championship clash with Wigan Athletic next week due to an UNSAFE pitch.The turf at the Coventry Building Society Arena has been badly damaged damage due to the recent heatwaves in the UK.
      Coventry City’s pitch has been deemed unplayableCredit: TWITTER
      The recent heatwaves and the Rugby 7s has badly damaged the turfCredit: TWITTER
      The Championship outfit have had to postpone their first TWO home matches of the seasonCredit: TWITTER
      It also suffered damage during the Commonwealth Games Rugby 7s, so much so City’s Championship opener against Rotherham was postponed.
      And after further inspection by an EFL-appointed “agronomy company”, The Sky Blues – who share their stadium with rugby side Wasps – have been forced to reschedule next Tuesday’s visit of The Latics.
      A club statement read: “Coventry City are very disappointed to have to provide a further update regarding the pitch at the Coventry Building Society Arena, and to confirm the postponement of Tuesday’s home game against Wigan Athletic.
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      “On Thursday, an independent internationally established research and agronomy company, appointed by the EFL, evaluated the pitch at the Arena.
      “They have experience at a range of international tournaments and stadiums in the UK and abroad.
      “It was their finding that the pitch would not be safe or playable for Tuesday’s game against Wigan Athletic.
      “We had been hopeful that, following the postponements of the last week, that the pitch at the Arena would have improved sufficiently to enable our game against Wigan Athletic to go ahead and had been planning for this to be the case.
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      “However, it is sadly clear that this is not possible and we are therefore forced to postpone Tuesday’s game against Wigan Athletic.
      “We apologise for the inconvenience caused to Coventry City fans, players and staff and Wigan Athletic and their fans, players and staff.
      “We did explore the possibility of reversing the fixture, but unfortunately due to other events at the DW Stadium this was not possible.”
      Coventry chief executive Dave Boddy claims the degradation of the pitch is down to a lack of investment.
      He said: “We are very disappointed to report the lack of improvement in the pitch, and we are very disappointed for our supporters, players and staff again that we have now had to postpone Tuesday’s home game against Wigan Athletic.
      “I met with Stephen Vaughan at Wasps/the Arena on Monday and have been in regular contact via email since.
      “To be clear, this is not the fault of the grounds staff.
      Coventry share their pitch with WaspsCredit: GETTY
      “Promised investment into a new pitch, which was a fundamental part of the extensive negotiations for the Club to return and then again a promise made publicly following the announcement of our return in March 2021, has not happened and there has been no significant refurbishment or repair work over the Summer either.
      “Our concerns over the quality of the pitch have not been addressed, and we were extremely disappointed to be told in June that Wasps had made the decision not to take any action to put a new surface in.
      “We still, despite repeated requests and the high-profile and urgent nature of this situation, await an ‘action plan’ from them to address this major issue, which they promised to implement publicly last Saturday.”
      Boddy insists it’s the fans, not the players, who are paying the price for the stadium’s pitch problems,
      He said: “It is our supporters who are suffering in this mess, and the players and staff too.
      “These are incredibly difficult circumstances for the Football Club.
      “The pitch has now been independently found to be unsafe and unplayable by the agronomists and previously by EFL match officials, and we are now desperate for this situation to be resolved by the Arena and Wasps.
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      “We will continue to keep supporters updated, and will provide further news as soon as possible.”
      Coventry – who are currently 18th in the Championship table – will be back in action this afternoon, travelling to South London to take on Millwall.
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      Football fans are all saying the same thing as Burnley use Bruce Forsyth’s Generation Game to announce Tella signing

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      BURNLEY have been hailed for the “greatest announcement ever” after confirming the loan capture of Nathan Tella.The Clarets used Bruce Forsyth’s iconic Generation Game television programme to announce the deal on their Twitter account.
      Burnley used Bruce Forsyth’s Generation Game to announce the signing of Nathan TellaCredit: https://twitter.com/BurnleyOfficial
      The video showed items such as Nutella and Stella ArtoisCredit: https://twitter.com/BurnleyOfficial
      The last thing on the conveyor belt was Tella himselfCredit: https://twitter.com/BurnleyOfficial
      Tella joined Burnley today on a season-long loan move from SouthamptonCredit: https://www.instagram.com/burnleyofficial/?hl=en
      Tella, 23, has joined from Southampton for the season.
      And the Championship side conjured up a genius method to confirm the deal.
      If you are not familiar with The Generation Game, is a long-running BBC game show most notably hosted by Forsyth.
      Part of the game involved contestants having to remember items that passed them on a conveyor belt, which they then won if they could name them.
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      In a brilliant video Burnley made a mock up of the show using Forsyth and two contestants, with items like Fruitella, Nutella, an umbrella and paella all rolling past.
      Then last of all it showed Tella himself lying on a sofa as he cruised past the contestants.
      The video has been quite the hit on social media, with all fans saying the same thing after the innovative work from Burnley’s social media team.
      One wrote on Twitter: “The greatest announcement ever.”
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      Another said: “Superb work. Champions League level admin.”
      A third pointed out: “Probably the best signing announcement ever.”
      While another amused fan gushed: “Whoever is in charge of Burnley’s player reveals needs a serious pay rise. Unrivalled.”
      Burnley fans will be hoping Tella can be as much of a hit on the pitch as he has been off it.
      The 23-year-old winger has played 33 times in the Premier League for Southampton.
      Speaking after joining Burnley, Tella said: “Once the opportunity arose for me to come here, this is where my head has been at since.
      “I’ve been wanting to play football consistently for a while now and now the opportunity has come up here, it’s one I’m just happy to have.”
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      Boss Vincent Kompany added: “We’re pleased to add Nathan to our team. He’s a hard-working player, who carries a great threat going forward with his attacking pace.
      “I have no doubt that Nathan will fit in fine here and help improve our squad. We would like to thank Southampton for making this possible and we look forward to working with him.” More

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      Watford beat Championship rivals West Brom over Hamza Choudhury transfer race from Leicester on one-year loan deal

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      WATFORD have beaten Championship rivals West Brom to sign Hamza Choudhury on a one-year loan deal.The promotion chasing pair shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at The Hawthorns on Monday night.
      Hamza Choudhury has fallen out of favour at Leicester and will join Watford on loanCredit: EPA
      But the Hornets beat the Baggies to sign Leicester City’s former England Under-21 international in a major coup for Watford boss Rob Edwards.
      Choudhury won the FA Cup with Leicester in 2021 but has fallen from favour with Brendan Rodgers and wants to kick-start his career with regular football in the Championship. 
      Missing out on Choudhury will frustrate Albion manager Steve Bruce, who made an unsuccessful bid to bring the midfield battler to Newcastle United when he was in charge at St James’ Park.
      Leicester need to offload a number of fringe players this summer as they battle to hold on to stars such as James Maddison, who is wanted by Newcastle.
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      Chelsea are poised with an £80million offer for Wesley Fofana, while Arsenal have been consistently linked with a move for Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans.
      The 24-year-old Choudhury, who has played more than 80 times for the Foxes, has been with the club since 2005 having joined the academy at the age of seven.
      However Choudhury only made 12 appearances in all competitions for the Foxes last season and is now ready for a new chapter in his career as he looks to show what he can do for Watford.
      For the first time since joining Leicester from Celtic in 2019, Rodgers is facing real scrutiny from fans. A 2-2 opening weekend draw with Brentford did not help matters.
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      The club narrowly missed out on the Champions League two seasons in a row.
      They then finished eighth last season and many are fearful this time around things will only get worse, with the club so far failing to make any summer signings. More

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      Mick Jones dead aged 75: QPR lead tributes as Neil Warnock’s former assistant manager passes away

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      MICK JONES, the former assistant of manager Neil Warnock, has passed away at the age of 75.London side Queens Park Rangers and Warnock lead the tributes for the ex-coach.
      Mick Jones, left, alongside Neil WarnockCredit: Alamy
      In a touching tribute, Warnock wrote on Twitter: “Sad to report my old assistant manager Mick Jones passed away this morning.
      “We had some unbelievable times. Mick was the sensible one.
      “I’ll miss him loads. Boy did we have some laughs. RIP.”
      Jones worked alongside Warnock throughout much of his coaching career.
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      The pair first linked up at Notts County in 1989 and Jones stayed on as Warnock’s assistant through spells including Huddersfield, Plymouth, Sheffield United, Crystal Palace and QPR.
      This stretch ran all the way up until 2012, with Jones finally retiring from coaching in 2013 after almost 40 years.
      Jones also tried his hand at management with Plymouth after Warnock was sacked at The Pilgrims, and managed over 60 games between 1997 and 1998.
      Jones retired from playing football and saw his first coaching role as a player-manager of Kettering in 1977, before leaving two years later to manage Mansfield Town.
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      QPR described him as “quietly-spoken” and a “trusted aide” of Warnock.
      Plymouth and Huddersfield both joined in the tributes and described their clubs as deeply “saddened” by his passing.
      Peterborough, who Jones had played for as a player, confirmed a minute of applause would be held between themselves and Plymouth ahead of their upcoming fixture on Wednesday evening. More

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      Burnley have £2.5m Isaak Davies transfer bid rejected by Cardiff with Southampton also interested in 20-year-old striker

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      BURNLEY have had a £2.5million bid for Cardiff forward Isaak Davies rejected.New Clarets boss Vincent Kompany is keen to bolster his squad after Maxwell Cornet joined West Ham for £17.5m last week.
      Cardiff haves rejected a transfer bid from Burnley to sign Isaak DaviesCredit: Rex
      But Championship rivals Cardiff are holding out for a bigger fee for the 20-year-old, who SunSport reported previously has caught the eye of Southampton and Brentford.
      Kompany’s assistant at Turf Moor Craig Bellamy is a big fan of Davies, having worked with him during his days as an academy coach with the Bluebirds.
      Burnley are on the hunt for attacking options having sold Cornet to the Hammers and Dwight McNeill to Everton, while Matej Vydra left on a free transfer in the summer.
      Chris Wood also departed in a big-money move to Newcastle back in January leaving Ashley Barnes and Jay Rodriguez as their only experienced frontline forwards.
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      Wales Under-21 star Davies was not in the squad for Cardiff’s opening two league matches of the season against Norwich and Reading.
      He had a knee injury which sidelined him during pre-season and that has halted his start to the new campaign.
      A versatile attacker, who can play across the front three positions, Davies became a Cardiff first-team regular last season, making 30 appearances, scoring three goals.
      And the youth team product, who joined the Welsh club at the age of seven, was rewarded in March with a new contract until the summer of 2025.
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      Burnley returned to the Championship after six years after finishing 18th last season.
      Sean Dyche was sacked after ten years at the helm and replaced by Manchester City legend Kompany. More

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      ‘Who makes these terrible decisions’ – Sky Sports in fresh scoreboard blunder after making fans angry over new changes

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      SKY SPORTS came under fire last night following another scoreboard blunder.Fans lashed out on social media during Friday’s Premier League opener between Crystal Palace and Arsenal at Selhurst Park as they hated the new scoreboard graphic.
      Fans took to social media once more to complain about Sky Sport’s scoreboardCredit: Sky Sports
      This time the graphic didn’t show how much stoppage time was added onCredit: Sky Sports
      That is because it didn’t include any letters, instead it only showed the clubs’ badges, the scoreline and the time during the Gunners’ 2-0 victory.
      This time, it was a Championship match that sparked outrage on social media.
      Fans flooded Twitter during the clash between West Brom and Watford as Sky Sports’ new scoreline graphic didn’t show how much stoppage time was added on.
      One fan tweeted: “So Prem games on Sky have that god awful scoreboard and EFL games have the normal one but they’re now not showing how much is added on. Who makes these terrible decisions.”
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      Another posted: “Are Sky Sports just not going to show how much extra time has been added on the scoreboard tonight.”
      A third said: “Why are the sky graphics wrong with no added time?”
      This fan wrote: “Why does Sky not show us how much added time there is?”
      West Brom and Watford’s Championship clash ended with a 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns.
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      Ismaila Sarr opened the scoring for the Hornets after just 12 minutes after an incredible strike from inside his own half.
      Karlan Grant equalised for the hosts just before half-time in the second minute of stoppage time.
      Fans were not impressed with Sky Sports’ new scoreboard for Premier League gamesCredit: Twitter @stator_ More