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      Fans ask ‘how’s he got away with that s***house celebration?’ after Leicester star Mavididi’s goal against Birmingham

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      STEPHY MAVIDIDI performed a “s***house celebration” after scoring for Leicester against Birmingham last night.Enzo Maresca’s side travelled to St Andrew’s looking to go three points clear at the top of the Championship table.
      Stephy Mavididi chipped the ball beyond John RuddyCredit: Rex
      The England youth international celebrated in front of home fansCredit: Getty
      The winger was quickly surrounded by his team-matesCredit: Getty
      Harry Winks appeared to try to diffuse the situationCredit: Getty
      The Foxes took a tenth minute lead in dramatic circumstances, hitting Blues on the counter-attack moments after James Justin had struck his own post.
      Teenager Abdul Fatawu played in Mavididi, who delicately chipped the ball over onrushing goalkeeper John Ruddy.
      The 25-year-old rubbed salt in the wounds of the home faithful by sitting on the advertising board and crossing his arms right in front of them.
      Birmingham supporters didn’t take kindly to the act, with many furiously shouting at the Leicester winger.
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      Fans watching at home couldn’t believe Mavididi’s audacity, with one writing: “How’s he got away with that celebration? Incredible s***housery.”
      While a second joked: “Sensational, can’t even complain about that.”
      A third moaned: “I hate these type of celebrations nowadays. Seems its all about winding up opposition fans in today’s footballing culture.”
      And another added: “Fairs even Jamie Vardy’s never done that much of a s***house celebration.”
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      The match had initially been dubbed El Grassico due to the off-pitch drama between the wives of Vardy and Blues boss Wayne Rooney.
      Their meeting did not come to fruition, however, with Vardy missing the match due to a knee injury.
      Leicester fans did make their beloved striker’s presence felt, however, with many wearing masks of his face to the game.
      Birmingham equalised just four minutes after Mavididi’s opener through Jordan James, but Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored to put the Foxes 2-1 up shortly after.
      Mavididi, 25, struck again five minutes after half-time, this time performing a knee slide in front of his own supporters.
      James grabbed his second of the evening on 74 minutes to set up a grandstand finish, but Leicester held firm to secure the points.
      Foxes boss Maresca admitted after the game that he did not enjoy Mavididi’s celebration.
      The 43-year-old told the BBC: “Stephy was very good. It’s what we expected of him. And Abdul too.
      “But Stephy needs to improve his behaviour, which was not correct.”
      Read more on The Sun
      The result made it seven defeats and just two wins from Rooney’s 11 games in charge of Birmingham thus far.
      Blues have fallen to 17th in the table, having been sixth when the Manchester United legend replaced John Eustace 11 games into the season.
      Mavididi, 25, celebrated his second goal in front of his own team’s fansCredit: Rex
      Leicester fans wore Jamie Vardy masks into the gameCredit: Getty
      Wayne Rooney has so far struggled as Blues bossCredit: PA More

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      Leicester fans brutally taunt Birmingham boss Wayne Rooney with Jamie Vardy masks ahead of Wagatha Christie derby

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      CHEEKY Leicester City fans taunted Wayne Rooney by wearing Jamie Vardy masks at Birmingham tonight.The Foxes faithful headed to St Andrew’s to watch their table-topping side take on the Blues in the Championship.
      Leicester fans wore Jamie Vardy masks in the away end at BirminghamCredit: Getty
      Supporters were keen to taunt the home manager Wayne Rooney after the Wagatha Christie dramaCredit: Sky Sports
      Rooney insisted he has ‘no relationship’ with the Foxes strikerCredit: PA
      And that, of course, meant it was Vardy up against Rooney for the first time since their wives’ Wagatha Christie scandal.
      Veteran striker Vardy sat out “El Grassico” due to a knee injury.
      But that did not stop his supporters jumping at the chance to take a hilarious swipe at the new Birmingham boss.
      Sky Sports cameras showed a pair of travelling fans heading into the stadium with the card faces on.
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      And the away supporters enjoyed renditions of “Rooney, Rooney what’s the score” and “Jamie Vardy, he’s won more than you” after taking the lead.
      Coleen Rooney alleged Rebekah Vardy had leaked stories about her private life to the press.
      Vardy’s wife then lost a libel lawsuit case in response.
      Rooney and Vardy were team-mates for England – and even played at Euro 2016 together – but were embroiled in the court trial.
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      And ahead of the game, the former Manchester United and Three Lions skipper insisted the pair have “no relationship” anymore.
      Rooney said: “The game is Birmingham City against Leicester.
      “In my opinion, Jamie Vardy’s a fantastic player and has been for many years.
      “I played with him for England, but I played with many players for England. It’s not someone who I’ve ever had a relationship with, outside of being in a training camp or games.
      “I respect Jamie Vardy a lot, he’s a fantastic player and still has a lot to offer Leicester.
      “What’s important is we don’t get dragged into a sideshow. Everything that’s happened in the past, which everyone is aware of, has been dealt with from a legal point of view. My job is to now focus on Birmingham trying to win the game.
      “He’s a great servant to Leicester and he’s a player we have to do a lot of work on to stop. He can really hurt you if you don’t.”
      Vardy and Rooney were England team-mates at Euro 2016Credit: Carl Recine
      The veteran forward sat out of the trip to St Andrew’s with injuryCredit: Getty
      Wayne supported wife Coleen at the trial in LondonCredit: Getty
      Rebekah lost her libel case in courtCredit: PA More

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      I’m the ultimate Premier League journeyman… my old boss peed in the SINK in his office and it seeped into our showers

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      GREG HALFORD has revealed which of his former managers would pee in the sink at the training ground.The utility man, 39, has had an eclectic career, playing from the Premier League down to non-league.
      Greg Halford recalled his time at Rotherham UnitedCredit: YOUTUBE / undrthecosh
      Halford, now 39, played for the Millers between 2015 and 2017Credit: Reuters
      After representing Reading, Sunderland and Wolves in the Prem, he dropped down to spend many years in the Championship with the likes of Brighton and Portsmouth, among others..
      In 2015 he signed for Rotherham United, with the aim of playing up front and attracting the eyes of MLS clubs.
      Boss Steve Evans recruited him and made him captain, but within just a couple of months he moved him back to defence and stripped him of the armband.
      Halford, who now plays for Hashtag United, didn’t see eye-to-eye with Evans – who he quickly felt he’d have “outlast” at New York Stadium.
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      Evans, 61, is a unique character in the EFL, and has managed Leeds, Peterborough, Gillingham and now Stevenage.
      While he has achieved success along the way, he hasn’t always gotten all of his players onside.
      Appearing on Under the Cosh, Halford recalled a vile anecdote from his time with Evans at Rotherham.
      He said: “At our training ground he has his office at the end of the building.
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      “Then the first changing room where we got changed, and then there was a second changing room.
      “He had no toilet in his office. But there was a sink, and the piping would filter into out showers.
      “Because he only drank Irn-Bru it was obviously bright orange. So he’d p*** in the sink and while we were showering it would come into the showers.
      “What the f*** is that? It’s bright orange! Disgusting.”
      That wasn’t the only story Halford told of Evans’ habits.
      He also recalled one away day during which Evans disgusted his players on the team bus.
      Halford said: “We were on an away trip… we were on the coach and he needed a s***.
      “He went to the toilet on the coach and there was s*** everywhere.
      “He just exploded, honestly it was horrific. You could hear everything.”
      Halford went on to add of Evans’ culinary choices: “His diet was just Irn-Bru and chips. That’s literally all he ate.”
      Read more on The Sun
      After falling out of favour at Rotherham, Halford spent the second half of the 2015-16 season on loan at Birmingham.
      He later returned to the Millers to play under Evans’ replacement Neil Warnock, before signing for Cardiff in 2017.
      Steve Evans managed Halford at RotherhamCredit: PA More

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      Norwich star Jon Rowe at centre of Premier League transfer battle with cash-strapped Canaries desperate to keep him

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      NORWICH are bracing themselves for more interest for winger Jon Rowe next month.Sunsport can reveal the Canaries turned down a £15million offer for the forward from Wolves just before the transfer window closed in August.
      Jon Rowe is being eyed by a number of Premier League clubsCredit: Rex
      Rowe, 20, scored two goals in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at rivals Ipswich to bring his total for the season to 11.
      The Englishman is the joint third top scorer in the Championship this term despite his young age.
      Although more clubs are likely to enter the scene – with Aston Villa another interested club – Norwich do not want to sell despite being strapped for cash.
      Despite a difficult spell under boss David Wagner, they are just five points off the play-offs so they will only listen to offers in the summer.
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      Rowe rose up the ranks in Norwich’s academy and has been with the club since he was 11 years old.
      The youngster has been called into England’s U21s since bursting onto the scene at the start of the campaign, having never previously started a game.
      Yet he scored five goals in as many games in August which is why Wolves came in with their offer which was immediately dismissed by Norwich.
      The Norfolk club are also fearing offers for Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Sara in January but like Rowe, they do not want to sell.
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      The 24-year-old joined the club from Sao Paulo last summer and has already managed five goals an eight assists in the league this season.
      Wagner’s side are preparing for the busy Christmas schedule and host relegation scrappers Huddersfield Town on Saturday to get the festive period underway.
      Gabriel Sara is also attracting interest from elsewhereCredit: Getty More

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      Leicester to resist loan transfer offers for £7.5m out-of favour striker labelled ‘top player’ by Maresca

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      LEICESTER plan to keep striker Tom Cannon despite a handful of clubs wanting him on loan.Cannon, 20, has struggled to make an impact since his big-money move from Everton after a back injury emerged.
      The Foxes insist fit-again frontman Tom Cannon won’t be departing in JanuaryCredit: Getty
      But Foxes’ boss Enzo Maresca still believes the “top player” can justify his £7.5million summer arrival on a five-year contract.
      Luton and Sunderland were said to be keen on the Republic of Ireland Under-21 star last summer.
      That followed his encouraging season on loan at Preston last term.
      Cannon scored eight goals in 20 matches for the Championship side.
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      And ahead of that temporary switch he netted 12 times in 16 games for the Toffees’ U-21s.
      Leicester won the race for Cannon on transfer deadline day in September this year.
      But a back problem was revealed during his medical.
      And the Merseysider only made his debut this month.
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      However, Maresca is confident the starlet will still come good for his Championship leaders.
      The Italian said earlier in December: “He’s the youngest of the strikers we have, so for sure (he’s going to bring) energy. 
      “But not only energy. First of all, he scores goals. Last year, in six months, he scored eight goals. 
      “The problem now with Tom is very easy.
      “It’s the physical condition, and then it’s that we have strikers already there, so he needs to compete with them.” More

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      Ex-Liverpool star, 33, sent off for second game running after needless handball as fans say ‘he doesn’t work Christmas’

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      DANIEL AYALA got himself sent off for the second game running as fans joked he “doesn’t work Christmas”.The former Liverpool defender, 33, joined Rotherham as a free agent in October.
      Daniel Ayala picked up his second red card in as many matchesCredit: Rex
      He handled a long ball while already on a yellow card
      In just his sixth game for his new club on December 9, he got yellow cards in the 12th and 17th minutes to be given his marching orders and Swansea ran out narrow 2-1 winners.
      Ayala served his one-match suspension against West Brom in midweek but returned to the Millers side for Saturday’s trip to Plymouth.
      Incredibly, though, the Spanish centre-back again found himself heading in for an early bath.
      Already on a cheap booking from the 25th minute and after being involved in a horror clash of heads, Ayala inexplicably tried to stop a long ball getting in behind the Rotherham defence by sticking up a stray arm and stopping it.
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      The Plymouth players demanded a second yellow and the referee duly obliged.
      It made Ayala the first EFL player to be sent off in successive games this season.
      And following his red at Swansea in his previous appearance – making it two red cards in 55 minutes – he will now have to sit out for another ban.
      Ayala will miss next game, a trip to Championship leaders Leicester on December 23.
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      And SunSport have asked the EFL for clarification on whether his suspension will last for two matches – in which case Ayala cannot face his old side Middlesbrough at the New York Stadium on Boxing Day.
      The red card proved critical as Plymouth came from behind and scored a 96th-minute winner to keep Rotherham bottom of the Championship table, nine points from safety.
      Millers manager Leam Richardson said: “Experienced players are still learning but Daniel got caught under the ball and he lost balance but with an experienced player you’d expect a better decision.
      “We will certainly look at that and speak to Daniel moving forward and go from there.”
      ‘LIKES HIS TURKEY’
      But fans piled in on the former Liverpool man, who made five appearances for the Reds in the 2009-10 season, and insisted this is not the first time he has managed to get Christmas off work.
      In 2012-13, then playing for Nottingham Forest, Ayala again got two yellows in a 2-0 defeat at Watford on December 22.
      Following his latest misdemeanour, one Twitter user said: “Got to love him. For those thinking to themselves, it’ll be blatant to get Christmas off, it’s more blatant than you can ever imagine haha.”
      A Boro supporter wrote: “You are definitely unfamiliar with Daniel Ayala. He doesn’t work Christmas.”
      Daniel Ayala – Matches Played in December
      2009-10 – 0
      2010-11 – 0
      2011-12 – 1
      2012-13 – 2 (red card on Dec 22)
      2013-14 – 6
      2014-15 – 4
      2015-16 – 6
      2016-17 – 0
      2017-18 – 3
      2018-19 – 5
      2019-20 – 6
      2020-21 – 6
      2021-22 – 1
      2022-23 – 3
      2023-24 – 3 (red cards on Dec 9 and Dec 16)

      A third added: “Up to his old antics again… winter off Ayala… same s*** every year, different club.”
      A fourth typed: “Done his best with two reds in two games.”
      A fifth joked: “Death. Taxes. Danny Ayala’s Christmas holiday.”
      A sixth quipped: “Must like his turkey.”
      A seventh wrote: “Daniel Ayala has more days off in the winter than an ice cream man, a chancer of the highest order. It’s a shame really as he’s a top player.”
      Read more on The Sun
      An eighth commented: “Another Daniel Ayala red. 2 in 2 games now. Must be Christmas.”
      And a final user replied: “At this time of year everyone else receives Christmas cards, Daniel Ayala meanwhile…”
      The former Liverpool defender joined the Millers in OctoberCredit: Alamy More

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      Banished Nottingham Forest star Joe Worrall could be handed transfer lifeline by Man Utd legend in January

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      MIDDLESBROUGH are ready to make an initial offer to sign Nottingham Forest’s out-of-favour centre-half Joe Worrall.Championship side Boro want to sign Worrall on loan and possibly turn that into a full-time deal if they win promotion to the Prem.
      Nottingham Forest ace Joe Worrall may move in the January transfer windowCredit: Getty
      Worrall is targeted by Middlesbrough after falling out of favour at Nottingham ForestCredit: Alamy
      Worrall, 26, signed a new deal recently — but is no longer in the Forest side and could be squeezed out in January with Middlesbrough manager and Manchester United hero Michael Carrick interested.
      And City Ground defender Scott McKenna, 27,  will also be looking for a new home after his lack of game time recently as the Scotland star wants to be sharp for Euro 2024.
      Worrall and McKenna are believed to have been told to train on different pitches from the remainder of the first team.
      The defenders have also been instructed to arrive for training at a different time from their team-mates.
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      Recent reports have also suggested both centre-backs have been “banished” from the first team.
      However, the decision to axe them is not said to be related to any behavioural issues or rows.
      Both Worrall and McKenna were key players in Forest’s promotion to the Premier League in 2022.
      They both helped end the Tricky Trees’ 23-year absence from the Premier League when they won the 2022 Championship play-off final at Wembley against Huddersfield.
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      But the last two matches against Wolves and Tottenham, Forest manager Steve Cooper has opted for a back-three consisted of Murillo, Willy Boly and Moussa Niakhate.
      Meanwhile, Forest will let keeper George Shelvey, 22,  go out on loan for experience. More

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      Stoke to interview Paul Heckingbottom for manager’s job with sacked Premier League boss keen for quick return to dugout

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      STOKE will do final interviews with candidates for their managerial vacancy this week —  and Paul Heckingbottom is emerging as a strong contender.Hecky, 46, is after a quick return to the dugout after being axed by Sheffield United this month and getting the Blades promoted last season looks good on his CV.
      Paul Heckingbottom could be the next Stoke City bossCredit: PA
      Alex Neil was axed last weekCredit: Getty
      The experienced boss is one of a few candidates due to meet Potters co-chairman John Coates this week.
      John Eustace was favourite when Alex Neil was sacked last week and is still in the frame.
      Tony Mowbray is also a possibility after his exit from Sunderland.
      Stoke may even try for Steven Schumacher, who took Plymouth up from League One last term.
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      The former Premier League club currently sit 20th in the Championship.
      The club is on the cusp of dropping into the relegation zone, having lost four of their last five games.
      The last time Stoke finished a game with three points was back in October after beating Middlesbrough.
      The club had been initially linked with a move for former Chelsea and Brighton and Hove Albion manager Graham Potter.
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      Andre Vidigal has been Stoke’s main goal threat this season
      However, it is believed that the Englishman quickly rejected the club with the thought that he was only looking for a big move.
      Potter has since been tipped to be one of the favourites for the job at Manchester United.
      The manager has met with incoming investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe about potentially replacing Erik ten Hag.
      England U21s boss Lee Carsley was also thought to be in the frame for the job.
      Stoke does have a tricky set of fixtures coming up with a trip to West Brom on Sunday.
      In their following five games, they face rivals Birmingham and Millwall before taking on top half Watford and high-flying Ipswich.
      The fifth game is an FA Cup tie against Brighton at the Bet365 Stadium.
      Stoke have some tough games coming up More