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      Championship giants confirm safe standing area in stadium will be introduced THIS YEAR in huge boost to fans

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      NORWICH have confirmed they are introducing safe standing at Carrow Road this summer.The Championship club will install the areas to their ground ahead of the 2024/25 season.
      Norwich are set to introduce safe standing areas ahead of the 2024/25 seasonCredit: Rex
      Clubs have been permitted to install safe standing since receiving government approval in 2022Credit: PA
      Providers Ferco are set to carry out work in the Lower Barclay, Thorpe Corner and a section of the away fans area in the coming months.
      Ferco previously installed safe standing areas at both Celtic Park and Loftus Road.
      The Canaries revealed the decision was made after consulting with their supporter panel, fan groups and the Sports Ground Safety Authority.
      Executive director Zoe Webber told the club website: “Safe standing is something we’ve been keen to implement at Carrow Road for some time, but it was important that we properly consulted our wider fanbase and the relevant safety authorities.
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      “We’ve had some very engaging conversations with supporter groups and official supporter panel, as well as some important feedback from season ticket holders.
      “We’d like to thank all of those that have engaged with the club throughout this process.
      “We also understand that safe standing may not be for everyone and we’ll do our utmost to accommodate supporters in other areas of the ground should they wish.”
      Premier League and EFL clubs have been able to implement safe standing since 2022 after receiving government approval following a series of trials.
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      Norwich are currently in their second season back in the Championship following relegation two years ago.
      David Wagner’s side are seventh in the table and only outside the play-offs on goal difference after their 4-2 win over Watford on Tuesday.
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      Ex-Premier League cult hero Yannick Bolasie agrees bizarre return to football after being left unemployed by Swansea

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      YANNICK BOLASIE is on the verge of joining Brazilian side Criciuma, according to reports.The former Premier League star has been without a club since leaving Swansea at the end of his short-term contract last month.
      Yannick Bolasie had a brief spell at Swansea earlier this seasonCredit: Getty
      The winger became a Prem cult hero with Crystal PalaceCredit: AFP or licensors
      Bolasie, 34, made 10 Championship appearances for the Swans, but left after Luke Williams took over from sacked former boss Michael Duff.
      According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Bolasie has agreed a pre-contract with Criciuma.
      He adds that the winger is set to fly out to Brazil to complete the deal next week, should the final details of the transfer be sorted.
      Criciuma came third in Serie B last year, earning promotion back to the top flight.
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      They boast 26-cap former Italy striker Eder among their ranks.
      Upon Bolasie’s Swansea departure, boss Williams complimented his attitude.
      The former Notts County boss said: “Yannick has been great to work with during his time at the club.
      “He has been a real professional and we wish him well in whatever is next for him.”
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      Bolasie began his career with Hillingdon Borough and Maltese side Floriana before joining Plymouth Argyle in 2008.
      He went on to have spells at Rushden & Diamonds, Barnet and Bristol City, before really making his name with Crystal Palace.
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      After four years at Selhurst Park, during which he helped Palace earn promotion to the Premier League, he joined Everton for £25million.
      Bolasie suffered from numerous injury issues at Goodison Park, and went on to embark on loan spells at Aston Villa, Anderlecht, Sporting Lisbon and Middlesbrough.
      He left the Toffees in 2021 after making just 32 appearances for them in five years, going on to join Turkish side Caykur Rizespor in 2021.
      His brief stint with Swansea followed, ahead of his mooted move to Brazil. More

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      Roy Hodgson set to be sacked before end of season over horror run with Championship boss and Bundesliga gaffer in frame

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      ROY HODGSON is set to be sacked by Crystal Palace following a horror run of games.Palace’s awful form has seen them plunge into a relegation scrap – and they currently sit in 15th place just five points above the drop.
      Roy Hodgson is set to be sacked by Crystal Palace following a horror run of gamesCredit: Rex
      Their most recent 3-1 defeat at home to Chelsea was the club’s 12th of the season and a number of protests by Eagles fans have taken place in recent weeks.
      According to the Daily Mail, Palace have decided to act by sacking Hodgson for a second time.
      It remains to be seen if he will leave before Monday’s game against Everton.
      But the call is believed to have been made to make the change before the end of the season.
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      Chairman Steve Parish is said to have wanted to stick with Hodgson until the summer.
      But the veteran manager’s position at Selhurst Park has been in doubt amid the club’s poor form.
      Talks are now underway over who will replace Hodgson, with former Eintracht Frankfurt head coach Oliver Glasner in the running.
      Glasner spoke with Palace last summer but was Hodgson eventually given a new 12 month contract.
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      The Austrian has been out of work since leaving Frankfurt at the end of last season.
      SunSport understands that Palace are also lining up Kieran McKenna, whose Ipswich side sit fourth in the Championship.
      Steve Cooper and Julen Lopetegui also join McKenna on Palace’s shortlist.
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      But the trio are believed to be reluctant to take the role at the moment as the Eagles look to have a relegation battle on their hands.
      Parish has, though, spoken to fellow owners to discuss Hodgson’s future and potential replacements.
      Oliver Glasner previously held talks with PalaceCredit: EPA
      Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna is on Palace’s wishlistCredit: PA More

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      I’ve gone from non-league to the top flight in just ten months ahead of my Premier League debut this weekend

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      LEWIS Smith will complete a remarkable refereeing story on Saturday as he leaps from the National League to the Prem in just 10 months.Smith, 30, will become the youngest rookie ref in the top flight since Michael Oliver, who was 25 when he made his bow in 2010.
      Lewis Smith has leaped from the National League to the Premier League in the space of ten monthsCredit: Rex
      Smith is the youngest rookie ref since Michael Oliver in 2010Credit: Rex
      But the Wigan whistler has been catapulted through the ranks from the fifth tier to taking charge of Fulham’s clash with Aston Villa.
      Smith had his first EFL appointments last season but was still taking charge of National League matches until April.
      He was then promoted to the EFL full-time panel at the start of this season, making his Championship bow when he took charge of Plymouth’s game with Swansea in October.
      Smith will become the fifth new refereeing face in the Prem this season after Sam Allison, Sam Barrott, Josh Smith and Rebecca Welch.
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      But his rapid rise is viewed as a positive result of both his performances and the ability of refs’ chief’s Howard Webb’s development group to identify the cream of the next generation of officials.
      Smith’s career began in September 2016 when he led the U18 Premier League match between Liverpool and Everton.
      He would remain taking charge the lower and youth divisions before making his way to the FA Cup first-round between Banbury and Canvey Island the 2020-21 season.
      Then in the 2022-23 season Smith led one Championship clash against Watford and Stoke City plus five games in League One and seven in League Two.
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      Now this term the Englishman has officiated four FA Cup and three EFL Cup games for Championship teams.
      Saturday at Craven Cottage will mark his 198th match in the role as Smith looks to become a regular in top-flight English football.
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      Sam Barrott is the only other 30-year-old to take charge of a Premier League match this season.
      While Rebecca Welch became the first woman to referee a Premier League match – officiating Fulham and Burnley in December last year. More

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      Sheffield Wednesday boss surprised he could field £40k-a-week Premier League star after snubbing him from squad

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      NEWCASTLE loanee Jeff Hendrick was left off Sheffield Wednesday’s 25-man EFL registered squad, but still played in an FA Cup game. Hendrick was back on the pitch in last week’s FA Cup match against Coventry, which Wednesday lost 4-1. 
      Danny Rohl left Newcastle loanee Jeff Hendrick off the registered squad listCredit: PA
      The former Newcastle star managed to actually get some minutesCredit: Getty
      Hendrick joined Wednesday at the start of the season after falling out of favour at St James’ Park.
      In January he reportedly asked to terminate his loan spell at Hillsborough but the request was refused.
      Manager Danny Rohl explained Hendrick’s latest appearance on the pitch, saying he was surprised to discover that players left off the EFL squad registration list can still play in cup games. 
      Speaking to The Star, Rohl said: “He played some minutes in the cup which was good.
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      “There is a learning also from my side that you have an FA Cup list and a league list.” 
      He went on to explain why Hendrick had originally been left out of the squad, saying: “We have seven loans and so we have to make decisions, this is part of the reason why.”
      As the rules stand, a club can only register five loanee players and Hendrick did not make the cut. 
      Rohl then said it wasn’t all over for the player, adding: “He is still involved and I think maybe when I look to the next 15 games it could be that he is helpful. 
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      “He has trained, he is professional. 
      “All of my players have taken the situation how it is. 
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      “This is not normal, when I compare this to my stations before, you have players who are disappointed and they show this. 
      “But my group is fantastic, it is outstanding what they are doing. 
      “It’s great to see.”
      Wednesday will play Championship leaders Leicester tomorrow in their bid to move out of the relegation zone. More

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      Man Utd cult hero boss says he wants to ‘kill’ Championship stars after they decide penalty taker with bizarre game

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      MARK ROBINS joked that he wanted to “kill” two of his players after an on-field game of rock, paper, scissors to decide who took a penalty.Coventry were a goal down to Millwall in their 2-1 win on Sunday when they were awarded a spot-kick on 67 minutes.
      Coventry stars Haji Wright and Callum O’Hare decided on a penalty taker by playing rock, paper, scissorsCredit: Rex
      With regular taker Matty Godden on the bench, it was a choice between Haji Wright and Callum O’Hare and the duo played their little game to settle it.
      In the end, Wright stepped up to coolly slot home after being fouled by Japhet Tanganga.
      That took the American into double figures for the season and he grabbed the winner three minutes later as the Sky Blues moved back into the top six.
      Boss Robins was less than pleased with the way the taker was chosen. He said: “Rock, paper, scissors? I’m going to kill them. I’ll be talking to them about it.
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      “It’s about who’s confident about taking the penalty. Haji was a regular penalty taker when he played in Turkey. He’s really decent but it’s who fancies it.
      “So when you get involved like that, it puts doubt in somebody’s head. The good thing is they both wanted it. But it needs to be a little bit more scientific than that.
      “They are brilliant lads, sort it out among yourselves, I’m not going to get involved in every bit of micro-management. But I still want to kill them!”
      Millwall have not won in five games now but took the lead through home-grown teenager Romain Esse after 12 minutes.
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      He was making only his second start of the season after 27 substitute appearances.
      And he scored for the first time since the opening day of the season when he collected a Zian Flemming ball and fired home with a deflection off Luis Binks.
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      But Coventry have only lost once at home in 22 games and Wright completed their second-half comeback with a 70th-minute strike.
      The Lions had enough chances early on to have sealed the points long before, which left boss Joe Edwards frustrated.
      He said: “We constantly have lots of games where there was a lot to be pleased with.
      “But we got the goal our start deserved, then had an opportunity to get the second which would have relieved the stress on our defence.
      “The problem for us is that it’s a recurring theme, we haven’t won since New Year’s Day.” More

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      Coventry star explains celebration ‘mix-up’ and begs fans not to see it as ‘offensive’ after now-deleted post

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      COVENTRY CITY star Milan van Ewijk has moved quickly to explain the “mix-up” over his “offensive” celebration against Millwall.The Sky Blues came from behind to beat the Lions 2-1 at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Sunday.
      Coventry City’s Milan van Ewijk was involved in a controversial celebration photographCredit: PA
      The star was trying to copy Haji Wright’s popular celebration while also referencing Mario KartCredit: Coventry City FC
      Romain Esse gave Millwall a 12th-minute lead but a quickfire double from Haji Wright after the break secured them the points.
      However, Coventry and their 23-year-old Dutch full-back received some unwanted attention after moving up to sixth in the Championship table.
      Following the full-time whistle, a photograph of Van Ewijk was posted on Coventry’s Instagram page.
      However, it soon caught the eye as it appeared to show him saluting with one hand while gesturing a moustache with his finger.
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      Fans quickly jumped into the comments as they alluded to the sinister connotations of the snap.
      That led to Coventry deleting the post after Van Ewijk had moved to clear up the storm with a comment of his own.
      He wrote: “I got two celebrations mixed.. please don’t see this as offensive.”
      Another post was then shared instead of it with different celebration photos, which the former Heerenveen ace replied to with: “Yeah, that’s a better pic.”
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      A Coventry spokesperson told SunSport: “Milan’s celebration was in regard to the gaming character ‘Mario’.
      “Members of the Coventry City squad have been playing Mario Kart between themselves, which has started a friendly rivalry amongst the squad, as seen in our behind-the-scenes videos and recent celebrations at Norwich.
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      “Milan was putting his hand above his mouth to symbol Mario’s moustache from the video game.
      “He also was raising his arm, copying the popular celebration his team-mate striker Haji Wright has done throughout his career.
      “The club saw how the photo could be perceived without the context behind it, and as Milan quickly commented to clarify this, therefore the image was deleted.”
      Prior to the game, Sky Blues scorer Wright spoke about how Van Ewijk was “big on celebrating”.
      The USA international said: “He’s a fun guy to be around. A lot of jokes and a lot of fun.
      “He’s a good player as well so he does make it easier for us.”
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      Van Ewijk arrived at Coventry from Eredivisie outfit Heerenveen last summer for £3.5m.
      He has made 29 appearances for the club so far, scoring twice, and is expected to be part of Mark Robins’ line-up when they travel to Plymouth Argyle on Wednesday. More

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      My dad is a Premier League cult hero.. now I’m following in his footsteps playing for club who adored him

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      A MALIAN international who starred in the Premier League is now watching on proudly as his son follows in his footsteps at his former club.Former midfielder Mamady Sidibe, 44, was a huge favourite at Stoke City after previously playing for Swansea City and Gillingham.
      Mamady Sidibe was a huge fan favourite at Stoke City under Tony PulisCredit: PA:Press Association
      Now his son Sol is playing for the Potters after graduating from their academyCredit: Getty
      After being signed in 2005, he went on to become a key player for the Potters under Tony Pulis.
      Sidibe, who was capped 14 times for his country, appeared to love life at Stoke and settled down roots there for the long-term during his eight years at the club.
      He played over 250 times, scoring 24 goals, in the league and celebrated promotion to the Premier League with them in 2008.
      After loan spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Tranmere Rovers, he left Stoke in 2013 for a brief spell in Bulgaria with CSKA Sofia.
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      The following year he retired from football and along with Bineta, his wife, he opened a patisserie in the Potteries Shopping Centre near to Stoke.
      But these days there is another Sidibe making a name for themselves at his father’s former stomping ground.
      Mamady’s son Sol penned a long-term deal with Stoke last summer after turning pro and impressing on the pre-season training camp in Costa Blanca.
      He was born in 2007, right when his dad was helping the club to promotion from the Championship, and joined their academy at the age of eight.
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      And his progress was rewarded at the start of the season when the ace, who turned 17 on Saturday, signed his three-year contract.
      Speaking at the time, Sol said: “It is a really proud moment for me and my family.
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      “I know this is a football club where you can earn the opportunities to progress.
      “I have enjoyed – and been grateful for – the chance to play for the Under-21s and be in the first team environment in recent times.
      “My immediate focus is on training hard and preparing myself for the new season but, of course, my long-held ambition is to represent the first team and that is what I will be giving my all to achieve.”
      Despite his young age, Sol has gone on to achieve that dream already this season.
      He came off the bench during Stoke’s 4-1 victory over Rotherham on the opening day of the Championship season to make his senior debut.
      And he has gone on to make six further appearances for the club, including outings in both the League Cup and FA Cup.
      However, it is not only at club level that he is catching the eye.
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      Despite his African heritage, Sol has already represented England on the international stage.
      He made his debut for the U17s in a 3-2 defeat to Portugal in September and has gone on to add another cap to his collection since.
      Sol made his senior debut this season and has appeared a further six timesCredit: Getty More