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      Wayne Rooney breaks silence on facing sack with Plymouth’s form the WORST in entire Football League

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      WAYNE ROONEY has vowed that he remains the man to lead Plymouth Argyle out of their current predicament.The Pilgrims boss, 39, watched his side get thumped 4-0 by Coventry on Boxing Day.Wayne Rooney watched his side get trounced by Coventry on Boxing DayCredit: GettyArgyle endured yet more away day disappointmentCredit: RexArgyle are winless in eight, having not triumphed since a narrow 1-0 victory over Portsmouth on November 5.And their travelling supporters have seen them collect just two points on the road all season.Following yesterday’s Coventry drubbing, Rooney was asked if he remains the man to lead Argyle.He said: “I believe I am. I know how football works, I’m not stupid, you need to pick up results.READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”The biggest frustration for me all season really is we look like two different teams at home and away.”So psychologically is there an issue? It’s something we’re looking at.”Yesterday’s shellacking was not the first time that Argyle have drubbed on the road this season.They had already lost 4-0 at Sheffield Wednesday and Bristol City respectively, 5-0 at Cardiff, 6-1 at Norwich and 3-0 at Leeds.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSThe Manchester United legend went on to add: “I’m sure the fans have questions, I’m sure a lot of people from the outside will, and I’ll do my best to answer them as best I can.”Rooney recently appointed Sir Alex Ferguson’s former No2 Mike Phelan to replace outgoing assistant Pete Shuttleworth.Wayne Rooney furious after Plymouth Argyle loss to Norwich Argyle are bottom of the Championship table, having collected just 18 points from 22 games.They will return to action on Sunday, when they head to Oxford in a relegation six-pointer.Earlier this month, Argyle chairman Simon Hallett publicly backed Rooney.’THE GREAT COACH THAT WE THINK IS IN THERE’Speaking at a fans’ forum in Cornwall, he said: “What we are going to do is not think about getting rid of him and changing him.”We are thinking about how we can support him.”So there are no conversations going on about replacing Wayne but there are conversations going on about how we can support him to help him become the great coach that we think is in there.”Hallett also updated supporters on his hunt for fresh investment into the club.He said: “We have been disappointed in how long it has taken to find a new investor.”I have been thinking this for about eight months, but I think we are on the verge of being able to come public with something.”We have actually got the EFL already beginning the initial approval process. The progress has been slow and every time I think we are close, you get a little bit closer but you don’t quite get there.”Rooney has had to deal with injuries to key players.READ MORE SUN STORIESMorgan Whittaker has missed Argyle’s last six matches, while Ibrahim Cissoko has not featured since October.Captain Joe Edwards is a long-term absentee, while forwards Michael Obafemi, Ryan Hardie and Mustapha Bundu have all pulled up injured in recent matches.Morgan Whittaker has missed Argyle’s last six matchesCredit: GettyMustapha Bundu joined Argyle’s lengthy list on absentees yesterdayCredit: Rex More

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      Fans convinced Jude Bellingham sang X-rated chant about Alan Shearer while watching brother Jobe for Sunderland

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      FANS reckon Jude Bellingham joined in a rude chant about Alan Shearer as he cheered on brother Jobe.The Real Madrid midfielder certainly showed plenty of Christmas spirit as he backed Jobe’s Sunderland at Shearer’s old club Blackburn in a Championship promotion battle.Jude Bellingham spent his time off from Real Madrid watching younger brother Jobe take on promotion rivals Blackburn for SunderlandCredit: GettyBellingham was smartly dressed as he took his seat at Ewood ParkCredit: GettySome fans were amused by the Real midfielder’s reaction when an Alan Shearer chant broke out at the former striker’s old hunting groundCredit: GettyBBC pundit Shearer is an England, Blackburn and Newcastle legend – but he’s not popular with Sunderland fansCredit: GettyAnd many supporters were convinced the smiling England hero jokingly sung along when visiting fans taunted the Toon legend and BBC pundit, who remains the Premier League’s all-time top goalscorer.Bellingham, 21, was captured appearing to playfully mutter some of a chant that normally includes the wholesome words “he wears a magic hat”.The new variant – adapted unseasonally by Sunderland supporters – included: “Shearer is a w****r”.Bellingham’s head was seen swaying in time to the song as he looked to be having fun on his Christmas break – with Real out of action until January 6.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLAnd Sunderland fans seemed delighted by his support for Jobe – in whatever way it came.One replied to a clip of the incident by revealing it was “not something that was on my list of things I’d expect to see this Christmas. But here we are. Legend!”Other approving messages included “Can’t love the guy any more if I tried” and “Oh I love you Jude”.Jobe Bellingham was at the front of the celebrations when the Black Cats went 2-1 up, only for Blackburn to grab a late point-saverCredit: GettyFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSBellingham Senior’s 19-year-old brother Jobe is expected to follow him to the very top.Most read in ChampionshipAnd although for many the Bellingham Boxing Day talking point concerned the chant, the younger brother will be more worried about the dramatic finale on the pitch.Moment Jude Bellingham gives Arsenal transfer hope after fan asks him to join GunnersYuki Ohashi’s deserved opener for Blackburn had been overhauled by a quickfire double after the break, via a Chris Rigg strike and a Wilson Isidor backheel.But Rovers’ late sub Harry Leonard grabbed a 90th-minute point-saver.Sunderland remain fourth – one place but six points ahead of Blackburn.The elder Bellingham brother is enjoying an Xmas break unlike British-based playersCredit: Rex More

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      Moment Watford star is CHASED by fuming Portsmouth players over controversial celebration that earned him red card

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      WATFORD’S late win over Portsmouth ended in farce after one Hornets star was red-carded – for taunting opposition fans with his dance moves.Kwadwo Baah was sent off after the final whistle following a feisty clash at Vicarage Road. Kwadwo Baah was sent off after Watford’s win over Portsmouth – for taunting the away fansCredit: GettyRocco Vata netted a stoppage-time penalty for the hosts to hand Watford a dramatic 2-1 win. Following wild celebrations, Tom Cleverley’s men saw out the game to head back into the Championship play-off places.Baah – who had been booked in the first half – headed towards the Portsmouth away support after the final whistle. He was filmed taunting the video fans, throwing out some moves from video game Fortnite in front of a packed contingent from the South Coast. READ MORE ON FOOTBALLAfter his team-mates tried and failed to pull Baah away, Pompey’s Terry Devlin charged over to confront the German.Referee Geoff Eltringham brandished the red card, halting the jiving Baah in his tracks. But plenty felt the punishment was overly harsh, with a host of supporters defending the striker on social media.One Watford fan wrote on X: “Was receiving stick from Pompey all of the first half, had every right to go and give some back.”Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSAnother said: “Why has he actually been sent off?? He did nothing wrong!!”While a third added: “Kwadwo Baah getting sent off after the FT whistle for taunting Portsmouth fans and doing the Fortnite dance in front of them. This boy is going straight to the top.”I grabbed director of football by the throat and picked him off the floor in front of my team-mates, reveals Troy Deeney And a fourth laughed: “To be fair he ran from the halfway line, he was hardly just walking past.”While Watford’s official X account tweeted: “Baah giving it back to the away end.”Cleverley’s Hornets are back in the top six thanks to the late Boxing Day victory.Watford have lost just two of their last ten games across all competitions. Their success has been built on making Vicarage Road a fortress – but the former Man Utd star wants his players to turn things around on the road. Cleverley said in the build-up to the clash: “At home we’ve suffered setbacks and responded to them, but away from home we just don’t show the same character or mindset to come back from any deficits.”I would never criticise my players for a technical mistake but when I see players shying away from wanting to receive the ball, then we’ve got a real issue.READ MORE SUN STORIES”To get to the level we want to get to we can’t just do it in the home games – we have to do it in the toughest environments.”At the minute we’re playing like a team who want to flip a coin and finish between fifth and 10th rather than really grab our own destiny by the scruff of the neck.” More

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      Wayne Rooney clinging to job after Frank Lampard’s Coventry ruthlessly thrash his ten-men Plymouth team 4-0

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      WAYNE ROONEY has been left clinging onto his job after Frank Lampard’s Coventry thrashed Plymouth 4-0. Argyle are now rock bottom of the Championship following the drubbing. Frank Lampard embraces with Wayne RooneyCredit: GettyJordan Houghton of Plymouth looks on in frustrationCredit: RexTatsuhiro Sakamoto opened the scoring while Ephron Mason-Clark’s goal was sandwiched in between a Josh Eccles double. Boos rang around the away section of the Coventry Building Society Arena. And Rooney – who only took over in May – now faces the Plymouth sack. Lampard meanwhile has taken Coventry to 14th after replacing Mark Robins in November. READ MORE IN football Plymouth have now lost their last three matches and are without a win in EIGHT. They have just four wins in their 22 league matches this season – with Rooney left fighting for his job. He told talkSPORT: “The first four or five minutes there was nowhere near good enough. “The goals they score is what we identified, really how Coventry score goals and where their threats come from.Most read in ChampionshipCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS”I think from a defensive point of view, especially in wide areas, in full-back areas, we weren’t switched on quick enough.”Rooney added: “We’re two teams, basically. One team at home, one team away, and we’re trying everything to try and fix that, whether that’s a psychology situation, we’ve tried absolutely everything to try and fix that. It’s a concern, of course.”Rooney was taunted with “sacked in the morning’ chants” and responded to questions over his future in the aftermath. He said: “It’s football, life. as a manager, you need to get results and win games, so I know that, I’m not stupid from that point of view. “So, yes, we have to dig in and find a way.”Rooney is fighting for his Plymouth jobCredit: Getty More

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      Controversial EFL team’s old stadium and former home of national side is now headquarters of Network Rail

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      THE home of English football’s most controversial club is now the headquarters of Network Rail.In it’s heyday, 9,000 fans would fill the stadium every week – but before all of that it housed England’s national hockey team.The home of English football’s most controversial club is now the headquarters of Network RailIt was once the National Hockey stadium before it was demolished in late 2009The stadium was previously used by England hockey between 1995 and 2003But housed the contentious EFL side for four years between 2003 and 2007The old multi-purpose ground was leased by a club that was going through one of the biggest changes in modern football history.It temporarily housed MK Dons, who were in League One at the time, between 2003 and 2007 – during the EFL side’s gigantic move away from London.MK Dons suffered the highs and lows of relegation to League Two and promotion back up again during that four year stay.In summer 2007, the Dons relocated to the new Stadium MK, near Bletchley, leaving the hockey digs without a tenant. READ MORE FOOTBALLIt was unused for two years and, in late 2009, demolition began in preparation for the redevelopment of the site into a new Rail HQ, which became operational in July 2012.MK Dons were formed in 2004 following the controversial relocating of Wimbledon FC.Back in the 80s and 90s, Wimbledon’s notorious ‘Crazy gang’ played at Plough Lane in Merton, South West London.However the iconic, but dreaded ground, no longer met the all-seater requirements for Premier League stadiums by 1991.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSMK Dons suffered the highs and lows of relegation and promotion at the stadiumOwner Sam Hammam couldn’t afford the renovations and sold 80 per cent to Peter Wrinkleman by 1997.Wimbledon were forced into ground sharing with Crystal Palace from 1991 to 2003 before Wrinkleman relocated 46 miles north to Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire with the permission of the FA.New Luton Town Stadium given planning permissionMillions of fans were appalled when the club had to abandon their ‘Don’ name, 102-year-old stadium, badge and colours by 2004.Many supporters walked away and formed AFC Wimbledon in 2002 as a non-league club, who are currently pushing for promotion in League Two.During that time, the club played home matches at Kingsmeadow – which is now the home of Chelsea FC Women.AFC Wimbledon returned to their spiritual home on Plough Lane to the Cherry Red Records Stadium a few hundred yards away from the original ground in 2020.MK Dons relocated to the Stadium MK in 2007A groundshare with rugby league side London Broncos began in 2022.MK Dons and AFC Wimbledon continue to share a unique, but bitter, with the latter refusing to recognise the former.AFC were charged for failing to call MK Dons by their proper name in a pre-match programme when they both sat in League One in 2017.No collection of football’s most memorable teams could ever be complete without mention of the rise of Wimbledon FC in the 80s.The notorious ‘Crazy Gang’ brought together a group of players who went from the fourth division to the top-flight in four consecutive seasons.And, most memorably of all, the Wombles lifted the FA Cup after Lawrie Sanchez scored the Wembley winner against all-conquering Liverpool in the 1988 final.But the old First Division’s most famous Cinderella story had a dark side.Vinnie Jones and the rest of the Crazy Gang were famous for their wild antics both on and off the pitchThe team’s work hard-play hard-tackle harder approach to football made them intimidating for opponents.And the fear factor spread within the team’s own dressing room.Former players Dennis Wise, Vinnie Jones and John Fashanu told BT Sport a tale of vicious beatings, endemic brutality and even arson.“I saw players actually cry from the abuse – physically break down and cry,” said ex-defender Terry Phelan.Jones backed up those words saying: “We were a lot of misfits, a lot of throw-outs, a lot of not-wanteds.”You either grew a backbone very quickly or you dissolved as a man.”Jones was often identified as the ring leader, but he claims that the tough culture was already well established by the time he signed in 1984 and that Wally Downes really ran things. Meanwhile, Wrinkelman sold MK Dons to a Kuwait-based consortium led by entrepreneur Fahad Al Ghanim in August this year.READ MORE SUN STORIESWinkelman oversaw the club’s promotion up to the Championship before an eventual return to League Two.MK Dons currently sit below their fierce rivals AFC Wimbledon in the professional fourth tier.MK Dons’ first stadium was the home of England hockeyThe National Hockey Stadium was demolished and replaced by a Network Rail building in 2012 More

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      I was sacked as a factory worker, the next day I was playing along Mesut Ozil at Arsenal – I was gobsmacked

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      COHEN BRAMALL was training with Arsenal’s first team including World Cup winner Mesut Ozil – just days after being sacked by car giant Bentley.The current Rotherham’s left-back was “gobsmacked” when he was shoved straight into Arsenal’s senior practice under Arsene Wenger in 2017.Cohen Bramall impressed at an Arsenal trial, the day after he was made redundant from a factoryBramall now plays at League One side RotherhamBramall played for Hednesford in the Northern League Premier Division on a part-time basis, while working full-time at a car factory.He told BBC Sport: “I got made redundant by Bentley on the Tuesday [20 December], which was crazy because I didn’t know what I was going to do.”My agent Lee Payne rings me on the Wednesday saying you’ve got a trial at Arsenal. I was like ‘what?’ – I was gobsmacked.”He said pack your stuff and get to this postcode, so I packed all my stuff in about an hour, got there as fast as I could, slept for a bit, then the next minute I’m in training with the first team.READ MORE ON ARSENAL”It was crazy how quick everything happened, how I met everyone and they just took me straight in. I had to take the opportunity with both hands.”A trial match with Sheffield Wednesday U23s had been watched by Arsenal scout Brian McDermott, who called Bramall’s agent.The following morning, he was training with Arsenal’s first team after expecting to meet up with the reserves.He said: “I got chucked into a 5-vs-5 with some of the best players in the world, like Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Petr Cech. It was crazy.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS”The tempo and movement was outstanding. It was a special moment for me.”He’d also played in a reserve game at Crystal Palace.Inside Arsenal’s new £300m+ stadium plans with futuristic Emirates project set to dwarf Spurs groundBramall’s four Arsenal appearances all came in friendliesAfter two days, Arsenal submitted a bid to Hednesford Town and signed the then 20-year-old left-back.The Gunners agreed terms on a reported £40,000 deal in January.At the time, Wenger said: “Bramall is a young, promising left-back who has a lack of experience at the top level but who has fantastic ingredients.”He has tremendous pace, a good left foot, a great desire to do well. Overall, he’s a very exciting prospect.”But the Crewe-born player spent the remainder of the season with the U23s.Bramall made his senior debut in a friendly against A-League side Sydney FC in July 2017.But he and Arsenal team-mate Carl Jenkinson were loaned to Championship club Birmingham City in August.On Bramall’s return to Arsenal, he played three times for their under-21 team in the 2018–19 EFL Trophy.But the club confirmed he would be released when his contract expired in the 2019 summer window.Bramall later played against Mason Greenwood at Old Trafford for ColchesterHe has since worked his way up the EFL pyramid and boasts 58,000 followers on InstagramUp the EFL ladder After his time with Arsenal was up, Bramall signed a two-year contract with League Two club Colchester United in 2019.He was sent off for the first time in his professional career that August for violent conduct during Colchester’s 3–0 win against Swindon Town in the EFL Cup.And he scored his first professional goal with a well taken free kick in a 3–0 win over Carlisle United in December.Next up was a multi-year contract at League One side Lincoln City in February 2021. Bramall made 46 appearances for Lincoln City before RotherhamBramall then climbed the football pyramid again after Championship side Rotherham matched his Lincoln release clause.The now 28-year-old became a first XI staple, racking up 75 Championship appearances, before Rotherham were relegated in May.READ MORE SUN STORIESHe has since found himself playing second fiddle to former Man Utd youth player Reece James under manager Steve Evans.He told the Rotherham Advertisier: “This is a challenge and it’s good for my character. If I know I’ve not been doing great, I’ll definitely tell myself that.”Bramall enjoyed a trip to New York during an October international breakHe signed for Rotherham in 2022 More

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      EFL club’s former stadium now housing estate with tiny strip of grass remaining from where old centre-circle once stood

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      A FOOTBALL stadium site that once played host to one of the EFL’s longest-reigning clubs is now a housing estate.But council developers ensured to keep a small strip of grass where the centre-circle once stood to remember the old ground by.A current EFL club was forced to leave their home in 2008The stadium was called Layer RoadThe site is now occupied by a council housing estate, with a strip of grass left roughly where the old centre circle was once foundCredit: Google EarthThe grass in the middle of the estate contains a fitting tribute to an EFL club’s former homeFrom the highs of promotions to the agony of relegation, the ground witnessed plenty of ups and downs.Built in 1907, Layer Road stood for 101 years before it was closed in 2008 and pulled down in 2012.In its pomp it was even able to house 19,000 passionate supporters.But capacity had dropped to just 6,320 by the time of its July 2008 closure for safety reasons, following closure of parts of the ground.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSIt was current League Two strugglers Colchester United’s home for 71 years.In it’s early days, the ground was first used by the British Army and Colchester Town, an amateur side until 1937.But Colchester United moved in two years before the Second World War began.In 1948, 19,072 fans packed into a record capacity at Layer Road for an FA Cup tie against Reading, with the match later abandoned due to fog.Most read in EFLFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSThe following decades saw Colchester United float between Division Three and Four, with club debt mounting.As early as 1981, the club’s chairman Maurice Cadman announced that Layer Road was in need of £280,000 of basic safety improvements to meet legislation.Inside Arsenal’s new £300m+ stadium plans with futuristic Emirates project set to dwarf Spurs groundWith the club struggling financially, sections of the ground were closed off, reducing the capacity to 4,500.And in 1990-91, Colchester United was forced to sell Layer Road back to the Borough Council for £1.2m to help clear club debts. The council began started to identify potential sites for a new stadium, with Colchester briefly relegated from the Football League between 1989 and 1991.But anyone visiting the spot where it once stood these days will be greeted by a much-different sight – a cosy housing estate. The last first team match at Layer Road took place on 26 April 2008, when Colchester lost 1–0 to promotion chasers Stoke City.Richard Cresswell scored the last professional goal at the stadium.Colchester fans made their way to the last ever match at Layer Road in 2008The square and approach road from Layer Road is known as Turnstile Square and a statue commemorates the old stadiumThe U’s had made it all the way to the Championship by 2008, but suffered relegation in their final season at Layer Road.In 2011, Colchester Borough Council sold the 3.63 acre stadium site to developer Abbey New Homes in a deal worth around £1.5 million.Planning permission was subsequently granted to build 58 homes on the site, a mixture of flats and houses, with a central open grassed space to be left to reflect its history as a football ground.And as a mark of respect to supporters who had their ashes scattered on the pitch as an expression of their love for the club.In mid-2012, Layer Road was demolished with the construction of houses commencing immediately.In 2015 a bronze statue of Colchester United’s ‘Player of the Century’, Peter Wright was unveiled.Wright joined the club in 1951, making over 400 appearances and scoring 93 goals over a 13 year spell.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe inscription below the statue reads: “ON THIS SITE Football was played 1907-2008. This was the home of Colchester United FC from its birth in 1937 until 26th April 2008.”The square and approach road from Layer Road is known as Turnstile Square.General view of Layer Road ahead of the last ever match at the ground.Colchester Borough Council bought the land in 1991Colchester United now play at the JobServe Community Stadium More

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      Former England international eyed by Hollywood-owned Wrexham for sensational January transfer

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      WREXHAM are planning a January swoop for Patrick Bamford, SunSport can reveal.The Welsh club believe the former England international – who earned his only cap in 2021 – could help propel them to the Championship.Patrick Bamford has not scored in nine games for Leeds this seasonCredit: GettyHe could be looking for a way out of the Championship club in the January windowAnd with the forward out of favour at Leeds, Wrexham are confident they will be able to get a deal over the line.The League One high-fliers are thought to be pushing for a loan deal which would include a clause to sign Bamford permanently in the summer.But owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney will have to dig deep to bring the club.Bamford’s wages will impact the structure at the club so the celebrity owners will have to help out to land the striker.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLWrexham certainly need a new striker with recent draws coming because of their failure to take chances.Phil Parkinson would have once called upon Paul Mullin to kill games off, but he has scored just once in League One.Wrexham think a striker who can make a big impact in League One and potentially score goals at Championship level will take them to the next level and Bamford fits that bill when at his best.The only snag could be concerns about his injury record and his lack of game time, and Wrexham will want assurances he is able to play straight away.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSFor Leeds, offloading Bamford from their wage bill is a priority due to his high salary and limited playing time.His current wages represent a significant financial burden, particularly since he has only played in eight of Leeds’ league matches, contributing no goals or assists.Wrexham clash descends into huge brawl at full-time as tempers flare after fiery League One clashGiven his injury record and the team’s depth in forward positions, moving him out could free up funds for other squad investments or financial stability. More