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      Graham Alexander tells his MK Dons players to use West Ham’s European hero Jarrod Bowen as inspiration to reach the top

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      GRAHAM ALEXANDER has told his MK Dons players they must believe they can be future European trophy winners like Jarrod Bowen.This summer the Dons boss used West Ham winger Bowen as a perfect case study for his team — after the former non-league Hereford player scored the winner in the Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina to end the Hammers’ 43-year wait for a trophy.
      Graham Alexander is enjoying being back in EFL management with MK Dons
      Jarrod Bowen went from playing Hereford to being a European trophy hero
      Alexander himself laboured in League Two for several years with Scunthorpe but went on to become the oldest player to make his top-flight debut with Burnley aged 37.
      He told SunSport: “There are many examples of players who climbed the divisions — the likes of Jamie Vardy, Michail Antonio, Bowen and, although not as high-profile, myself. 
      “I played at this level for seven years from 16 to 23 but ended up in the Premier League, scoring against Manchester City and Arsenal. 
      “When I was in League Two I didn’t think of being a Premier League player. I wanted to get to the next level then the next one after that and kept doing that. 

      “It was my belief the Premier League was too far for me as a player and I’m sure Jarrod Bowen would have been thinking that at Hereford rather than, ‘I’ll be playing in a European final one day and scoring the winner!’
      “This’s what players must believe. It might not happen overnight, might not happen in the next month or the next two seasons.
      “But if you keep making improvements and dedicating yourself to your job and career, if you’re good enough you can do anything if you make the right decisions and show the right level of commitment and quality.”
      It was while playing at Preston under Bowen’s Hammers boss David Moyes in the third tier that Alexander’s game improved leaps and bounds.
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      Bowen in his non-league days playing for Hereford
      Alexander converts from the spot for Burnley against Arsenal
      He said: “I turned my life upside down. I thought I knew what dedication was then I moved to a club and played under Moyes and thought, ‘That’s dedication.’ It wasn’t just Moyes driving me, it was my team-mates too.
      “Vardy left Fleetwood in 2012 then he’s won the Premier League in 2016. Anything is possible.”
      Alexander’s managerial career has seen him ruthlessly sacked twice — providing proof madness reigns supreme in some boardrooms.
      First Scunthorpe wielded the axe five years ago when they were FIFTH in League One with Alexander set to take the club into the play-offs for the second successive season.
      That decision backfired disastrously with Scunny suffering THREE relegations. 
      Under Alexander, they could have been promoted to the Championship — but instead today they are hosting South Shields in the National League North!
      Graham Alexander made the journey himself from fourth tier to the Premier League
      Our man Justin Allen caught up with Alexander in Milton Keynes
      Alexander is the League two manager of the month for August
      And then three years ago Gary Neville lost control of his senses by firing the former Scotland international with the club FIFTH in League Two.
      This was despite Alexander getting the club promoted to the EFL for the first time in their history, finishing 11th in their maiden fourth-tier season and reaching the EFL Trophy final, which they went on to win.
      The ambitious Class of 92-owned club are still in League Two, 17th in the table.
      Alexander said: “Football management is wild and brutal so what I’ve gone on to realise is you do the best you can. 
      “All people in positions of responsibility must make decisions, including me, and I won’t get them all right and it’s the same for owners.
      “Scunthorpe were my first club as a player and I went back to manage them. I left when they were high up in League One so it’s horrendous to see where they are now.
      “When I got the sack at Salford, I wasn’t shocked. I wanted to continue with the players and what we were doing but it was a unique scenario where on reflection it was right for both sides to part because I was being asked to not be myself.”
      Neville has since admitted he was wrong to sack Alexander, who added: “I’ve spoken to the guys at Salford since. I’ve got no problems with it, life’s too short.
      Alexander had Scunthorpe flying high in League One five years ago yet since his sacking they have crashed all the way to National League North
      He was bizarrely sacked at Salford by Gary Neville
      “I just put it in the bin and move on. I didn’t need Gary to say those kind things. 
      “Only one person gets to be first on the moon so to be part of that group that was the first to bring Salford into the EFL, I’m immensely proud.”
      Alexander has bounced back well.
      First he took charge of SPL club Motherwell where he not only saved them from relegation but guided them to fifth in his full season in charge — qualifying for the Europa Conference League.
      In fact, during his 18 months at Fir Park only Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers won more league points than Motherwell.
      Only one person gets to be first on the moon so to be part of the group that was the first to bring Salford into the EFL, I’m immensely proudGRAHAM ALEXANDER
      And now he is back in League Two with MK Dons where they go into today’s home game with leaders Notts County sitting second after six matches — as they bid to bounce straight back to League One after relegation.
      He has also been named the SkyBet manager of the month in the division.
      Alexander has a big family link with Milton Keynes as all three of his children were born in the city — as he lived in the city while playing for Luton in the 1990s.
      And he said: “I saw this job as an opportunity to work for a good club.
      “When you see the infrastructure and what the club has tried to do over 20 years, it’s had spells of progression where it’s been close to where it thought it could get to and then dropped back down. 
      “I remember the club being in the Championship seven years ago when I was managing Fleetwood — but they haven’t progressed as far as they would have liked to. 
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      “Football is tough. You must win on the pitch and the game in that regard hasn’t changed. 
      “We’ve got 12 points from our first six games, which we’re content but not ecstatic about. However, if we can continue in that vein, we have a great chance of doing something good this season.” More

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      I won European Cup with Aston Villa 40 years ago – I’m still a registered player and continue to play in my SEVENTIES

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      MIDFIELD legend Des Bremner played for Hibs and Aston Villa more than 40 years ago — and still turns out today in his SEVENTIES!Villa’s European Cup-winning star moved south in 1979 after seven years at Hibs and remains registered with the FA as a player… for Shard End Over-63s in Birmingham.
      Des Bremner played for Hibernian in the 1970sCredit: Rex
      Bremner later won the European Cup with Aston VillaCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      And he will be back at Easter Road on Wednesday night — and Villa Park next week — to see his two old clubs.
      Bremner, 70, said: “I’m thinking of going with a half green and half claret-and-blue scarf!
      “I loved it at Easter Road, we had a really good side. But when I was 27 I got the chance to go to Villa.
      “It had been an ambition of mine to play in England — but I never believed I’d play in a European Cup-winning team.
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      “I go to my local pub and the guys who are my generation are the only ones who mention that European Cup final — although I’m thinking about taking my medal up to Edinburgh with me.
      “I’m 70 but I still play walking football once a week. It keeps me active and I enjoy it, though you can’t tackle — and I always liked a tackle!”
      Bremner played in a couple of Battle of Britain Euro ties with Hibs.
      He revealed: “We took Leeds to penalties in the Uefa Cup in 1973 after two goalless games.
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      “I scored mine but Pat Stanton hit the post with his and that knocked us out.
      “Then the season after we played Liverpool — we won at home but John Toshack scored a hat-trick at Anfield to beat us.” More

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      Aston Villa fans set to watch Europa Conference League clash for FREE as TV rights revealed

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      ARMCHAIR Aston Villa fans will be able to watch their side’s first European tie for 13 years live on TV on Wednesday.SunSport can reveal BBC Scotland has obtained the rights to broadcast the Battle of Britain first-leg Europa Conference League clash in Edinburgh.
      Aston Villa fans can watch the match against Hibernian on BBC ScotlandCredit: Alamy
      They will broadcast the action from Easter Road on various satellite platforms, iPlayer and the BBC Sport Scotland website.
      Villa fans have only been allocated 1,000 tickets for the eagerly anticipated cross-border clash at Easter Road, with stay-at-home fans fearing they faced a TV blackout.
      However, Hibernian have struck an agreement with the Beeb which will allow fans to watch the action, with coverage starting at 5:30pm for the match which has a 5.45pm kick-off.
      At the qualifying stage of the Europa Conference League TV rights are negotiated by the home club, rather than UEFA.
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      The return leg at Villa Park on Thursday, August 31 will be covered live by TNT Sports, formerly known as BT Sports, with an 8pm kick-off.
      Villa are appearing in Europe for the first time since 2010 after finishing seventh in the Premier League last season.
      The club’s previous European campaign saw them eliminated by Austrian side Rapid Wien in the Europa League play-off round.
      A victory against Hibernian would see Villa through to their first continental group stage since the 2008/09 UEFA Cup.
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      Next week’s second leg will be followed by the draw for the group stage on September 1.
      Villa are the only English club in the Europa Conference League, which was won by West Ham last season. More

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      Conference League clash delayed and crowd sprayed with tear gas after fan’s cheeky stunt sparks riot

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      NK MARIBOR’S Europa Conference League clash with Fenerbahce was delayed by 28 minutes after a fan’s cheeky stunt sparked a riot.The Slovenian side hosted their Turkish counterparts already trailing 3-1 from last week’s first leg.
      Fenerbahce fans clashed with their Maribor counterparts in ugly scenesCredit: Getty
      Fenerbahce supporters reportedly stormed into the Maribor sections of the groundCredit: Getty
      Maribor fans were alleged to have taken a Fenerbahce bannerCredit: Getty
      All hell broke loose during the second half of the matchCredit: Getty
      With Maribor 1-0 down in Thursday’s return fixture, pandemonium broke out in the stands.
      Fenerbahce supporters alleged that a Maribor fan dressed as stewards to steal their banner.
      The visiting supporters didn’t take kindly to the reported act, attacking the home end in order to get their banner back.
      What followed were wild scenes in which riot police battled to get matters back under control.
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      Fenerbahce players and manager Ismail Kartal could be seen begging their fans to stand down.
      The riot took a long time to simmer down, with 28 minutes of stoppage time being required at the end of the match.
      Irfan Kahveci’s strike on 17 minutes had given Fener the lead on the night.
      Further efforts by Sebastian Szymanski and Dusan Tadic completed a 3-0 away leg victory and 6-1 aggregate triumph.
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      After the match, Fenerbahce fans claimed on social media that they had been tear gassed by police.
      The Turkish side will face FC Twente of the Eredivisie in the Europa Conference League play-off round.
      FC Twente defeated Latvian side Riga 5-0 on aggregate.
      Fenerbahce manager Ismail Kartal begged fans to come to orderCredit: Getty
      Players also pleaded with their own supportersCredit: Getty
      Riot police got involved in the unrestCredit: Getty More

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      Fans convinced there has been a mistake in Europa League draw as baffling new rule is introduced

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      FOOTBALL fans were left baffled with UEFA’s new rule in the Europa League draw.The European governing body has decided that this year there will be no country protection in the play-offs before the group stage.
      Fans are baffled by the new Europa League rule that excludes country protectionCredit: Getty
      That means Zorya Luhansk may face fellow Ukrainian outfit DniproCredit: Getty
      That means two teams from the same nation can actually play against each other in Europe.
      Thus, Zorya Luhansk could face fellow Ukrainian outfit Dnipro in the final qualifying round.
      Dnipro are playing Slavia Prague in the third qualifying round and the winner will square up against Zorya.
      However, fans have yet to adapt to the new rule and some even wondered if UEFA completed yet another blunder during today’s draw.
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      One fan tweeted: “Is the top fixture even allowed to stand btw?
      “Dnipro and Zorya are both Ukrainian and could play each other. Unless I’m wrong about something.”
      Another commented: “Why Zorya can play against Dnipro? I need an explanation.”
      A third said: “In the Uefa Europa League draw, #Dnipro was drawn against the winner between Slavia Prague and #Zorya Luhansk.
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      “Unlike the Champions and Conference League, the 2023/2024 Europa League regulations do not provide so-called “country protection” for the playoff round. Weird. #UELDRAW.”
      This fan wrote: “Dnipro vs Zorya ? How ?”
      And that one wondered: “What is @UEFA doing?”
      Liverpool and Brighton may meet the winner of that exchange in the the Europa League group stage after finishing fifth and sixth respectively in the Premier League last season.
      The Reds and the Seagulls will be joined by West Ham, who won the Europa Conference League. More

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      Juventus KICKED OUT of Europe by Uefa and handed huge fine for financial rule breaches

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      UEFA have BOOTED Juventus out of Europe after breaching financial rules.It means the Italian side will no longer be able to compete in the upcoming season’s Europa Conference League.
      Juventus have been booted out of Europe by UefaCredit: Getty
      The club have been slapped with a £17.15m fineCredit: Getty
      In addition to the ban, they have also been handed a hefty fine by Europe’s governing football body.
      Uefa handed them a fine worth £17.15million, though half of this sum is conditional.
      In a statement, Uefa stated the additional £8.6m would only come into play if Juventus’ financial statements for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025 do not comply with accounting requirements listed in the body’s Licensing and Financial sustainability rules.
      The breaches relate to player registration rights between 2019 and 2021, with an official investigation being opened by Uefa in December.
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      The ban means Juventus will likely be replaced by Fiorentina in next season’s competition.
      It also sees Aston Villa elevated from the unseeded to the seeded pot for August’s two-legged play-offs.
      In response to the decision, Juventus president Gianluca Ferrero said: “We regret the decision of the Uefa Club Financial Control Body.
      “We do not share the interpretation that has been given of our defence, and we remain firmly convinced of the legitimacy of our actions and the validity of our arguments.”
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      The club’s statement added they have decided not to appeal the decision.
      Juventus were handed a ten-point deduction in May by the Italian FA after being found guilty of inflating transfer fees to create millions of pounds worth of “capital gains” for tax purposes.
      The initial punishment had seen them hit with a 15-point deduction before this was revoked pending a new investigation, which concluded with the Bianconeri being hit with a ten-point penalty.
      The Serie A giants were not the only club to be handed a fine by Uefa, with Chelsea also being handed an £8.6m fine for FFP breaches during their time under previous owner Roman Abramovich.
      This related to a seven-year period from 2012 to 2019. More

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      West Ham fans fume at ’embarrassing’ punishment as Uefa make decision after AZ Alkmaar chaos in Europa Conference League

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      WEST HAM’S players have been cleared by Uefa after clashing with AZ Alkmaar thugs in the Europa Conference League semi-final.A string of the London club’s stars rushed to defend their friends and families as the Dutch hooligans attempted to storm an area where the travelling contingent had been sat.
      Crowd trouble erupted during the semi-final of the Europa Conference LeagueCredit: AFP
      AZ Alkmaar have been handed punishment by Uefa for the behaviour of their fansCredit: Getty
      Yet while West Ham have avoided punishment, Alkmaar have been handed a suspended one-game stadium ban along with nearly £69,000 in fines.
      The stadium ban will be activated if there is any more trouble at their ground in the next two years while they were fined £43,000 for the attack on the West Ham section.
      Alkmaar have also been fined £12,900 for the lighting of fireworks, £6,900 for supporters blocking public passageways and £6,000 for the throwing of objects, .
      The trouble erupted after David Moyes’ team won 1-0 on the night to knock out Alkmaar 3-1 on aggregate.
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      While stewards and security were on the scene, Hammers players including Lucas Paqueta, Said Benrahma, Declan Rice, Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell, Jarrod Bowen and Flynn Downes were all involved in the chaos.
      West Ham won the competition by beating Fiorentina 2-1 in the final in Prague.
      Bowen’s 90th-minute winner saw the London club bring home their first piece major silverware since 1980.
      There were fines handed out to West Ham fans from that game after missiles were thrown onto the pitch which left Cristiano Biraghi with a bleeding head.
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      Uefa also slapped West Ham fans with a ban going into next season’s opening Europa League away fixture.
      However, the Hammers faithful were left unhappy at the level of punishment dished out by Uefa to Alkmaar.
      One fan wrote: “Considering our bans, embarrassing punishment.”
      A second said: “I’m sorry how have they literally attacked the families of the players and have got away with a minimal fine?”
      Another remarked: “That’s not even a slap on the wrist.”
      A fourth declared: “If an English team did that we’d be banned for multiple years. The double standard is crazy.” More

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      La Liga side have European ban OVERTURNED by Uefa just four weeks before first match

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      OSASUNA have overturned Uefa’s European ban and will compete in this year’s Europa Conference League.The LaLiga club were initially kicked out of Europe’s third-tier competition as punishment for a decade-old match-fixing scandal just four weeks before the tournament’s opener.
      Osasuna overturned their Europa Conference League banCredit: Getty
      UEFA initially banned Osasuna due to a decade-old match-fixing scandalCredit: Reuters
      The issue in question is referred to as ‘Caso-Osasuna’ and it ended with former club president Miguel Archanco and five former club directors being sentenced to prison.
      That’s after a court found £557,000 of club funds were directed to pay players from other teams to influence results.
      However, the Spanish outfit appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and managed to turn it around.
      Uefa found Osasuna were a “victim of the events” that occurred from the 2013/2014 season.
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      Jagoba Arrasate’s side will therefore be present on the Europa Conference League play-off draw, which takes place on August 7.
      However, Uefa have opened a different disciplinary procedure against the club.
      That is because the team went to “ordinary courts” during the ongoing process.
      However, that won’t lead to any ban from Europe and Osasuna promised not to appeal the governing body’s decision.
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      The Pamplona outfit finished seventh in LaLiga last season after beating Athletic Bilbao to the final qualification spot by two points.
      That means they may face Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League this coming season.
      Villa also finished seventh in the Premier League after a stunning turnaround under manager Unai Emery. More