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      Ex-Man City star Curle insists he is making progress at Oldham after Latics dent Bradford’s League Two promotion hopes

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      KEITH CURLE insists progress is being made despite still searching for his first Oldham win.The former Manchester City star has overseen three draws out of four since replacing Harry Kewell at the League Two side.
      Keith Curle is still searching for his first win as Oldham bossCredit: Getty
      Oldham’s top scorer Conor McAleny was twice denied in the goalless draw at BradfordCredit: Rex
      Curle, 57, said: “I’ve only been in the job 10 days.
      “If you’re trying to build something and put foundations in place, a clean sheet is a good place to start.
      “I thought we were brave and we controlled the possession. We can still do it a little bit better.”
      Oldham’s top scorer Conor McAleny was twice denied by goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell.
      Connor Wood, Charles Vernam and Gareth Evans all came close for the hosts.
      Latics sub Dylan Bahamboula also fired wide after finding space in the box late on.
      Curle added: “Goals will come. But you are always happy with a clean sheet.”
      The stalemate dealt a blow to Bradford’s play-off hopes.
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      Richard O’Donnell kept a clean sheet on his return in goal for the BantamsCredit: Alamy
      The draw dented Bradford’s play-off hopesCredit: Rex

      Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars’ Bantams are nine points adrift of sixth and winless in four.
      Trueman said: “We’ve lost two in a row so it was important we didn’t do that again.
      “Winning’s a habit but so is losing. It was important we didn’t get beaten.
      “Yes we wanted a better performance but it was important we didn’t lose.
      “We have put ourselves in a good position in the league but we’ve just got to finish as strong as we can.”
      Oldham Athletic’s Carl Piergianni tussles with Bradford striker Danny RoweCredit: Alamy
      Joint bosses Conor Sellars and Mark Trueman were glad to stop Bradford’s two-match losing runCredit: Getty
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      Gary Neville holds huge inquest into Salford’s disappointing form with Man Utd legend desperate for promotion

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      GARY NEVILLE has held a huge inquest into Salford’s shaky promotion campaign.Co-owner Neville got all players and staff together BEFORE their Papa John’s Trophy win at Wembley for a major analysis of their League Two problems.
      Gary Neville is hoping to see Salford City continue their ascent up the leagueCredit: Rex
      Neville, 46, wanted all the grievances aired after seeing results leave them chasing the play-off pack for a second season.
      Despite lifting their first senior cup, Neville sees rising up the league as a priority.
      After back-to-back promotions, City finished 11th in their League Two debut campaign.
      Salford dispensed with manager Graham Alexander in October despite an unbeaten start to the campaign.
      And replacement boss Richie Wellens has been unable to cement a play-off spot since he took charge.
      On Saturday, top-of-the-table Cheltenham claimed a 2-0 win against the Ammies thanks to an early goal from Sean Long and a Liam Sercombe sealer.
      Salford have won just one in eight in the league and sit ninth, six points off the play-offs and ten away from automatic promotion.
      Speaking after the defeat, Wellens slammed his stars and warned: “The attitude was poor from the start.
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      When players decide to drift off and do whatever they want to do then that’s what we got served up.Richie Wellens

      “If we stay humble, do the basics right, listen, and take out onto the pitch what we’ve worked on then we’re alright, we’ll pick up results in this league.
      “But when players decide to drift off and do whatever they want to do then that’s what we got served up.
      “I’ve never watched our warm-up but I watched it today because our changing rooms, obviously they’ve moved them, so you can see the warm-up. Our warm-up I’m not happy with at all.
      “I said to [coach] Warren Joyce when they came in if the game was won on the warm-up, we’re already beat, it was a shambles so I’ll be looking into that. The game started off pretty much as what I’d seen in the warm-up.”
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      EFL chief Rick Parry warns Uefa new Champions League format could decimate English football

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      EFL chairman Rick Parry has warned Uefa its Champions League expansion plans risk decimating the fabric of English football.
      European chiefs are set to confirm the new plans to come into effect from 2024 after getting the backing of Europe’s biggest clubs.

      Rick Parry has warned Uefa of the threat faced by smaller clubsCredit: PA:Press Association

      But Parry, who was supported by Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish, suggested the planned extra 100 Champions League games per season would destroy the League Cup and be potentially fatal for some of English football’s most historic clubs.
      Parry told the European League’s Club Advisory Platform virtual meeting: “The 72 clubs in the EFL are at the heart of their communities
      “The League Cup has been in existence for 60 years and is owned and managed by the EFL.
      “One of the conditions on the formation of the Premier League was that all clubs would play in it.

      “But Uefa proposal poses a major threat to the League Cup, especially with regard to the teams in the Champions League – and it will have a massive effect on EFL revenues
      “We estimate we could lose one third of the revenues we distribute to our clubs – which could pose a very real threat to the existence of those clubs.”
      Parry was echoed by Selhurst chief Parish, who added: “This would have a devastating effect on domestic competitions in England.
      “The League Cup is the largest financial contributor to the EFL and this will be the end of that Cup in its entirety or reduce it to a youth competition.”

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      Clubs like us feel so remote from the decision-making and there is a huge conflict of interest.
      Steve ParishCrystal Palace chairman

      Uefa have reached agreement with Europe’s biggest clubs that there will be no weekend games in its club competitions, leaving the field clear for domestic leagues.
      The deal effectively kills off the planned European Super League, despite efforts led by Real Madrid to breathe life into the dying embers of the breakaway plan.
      But Prem clubs want to thwart the proposal to play two of the 10 games in the initial league phase of the 36-team Champions League “Swiss model” competition in January.
      Uefa will formally announce the new format next month but Parish also blasted Nyon chiefs and the influential European Club Association for ignoring the voices of those left out of the elite group.
      He said: “Clubs like us feel so remote from the decision-making and there is a huge conflict of interest, with Uefa and the ECA now choosing to make changes for the long term in the middle of a pandemic.
      “We are expected to accept them because they’re not as bad as they could have been.
      “But there will be a huge impact on us and the creep is never ending.“
      Parish and Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow also condemned the proposal, backed by the Prem’s ‘Big Six’, for a backdoor safety net to be available for two clubs to qualify for the Champions League through their Uefa coefficient score.

      Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin is set to green light Champions League reformsCredit: REUTERS

      Parry fears for the future of the League Cup if the changes occurCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      The Palace chief said: “If we took it on last season, Leicester were fifth but the two clubs below them [Spurs and Arsenal] would have qualified for the Champions League based on an arbitrary period of success in Europe.”
      Purslow added: “It affects domestic competitions if you boost teams from the Europa League to the Champions League based on what they did in the past.
      “That would give clubs in the Premier League a £45m advantage over a team that may have finished ahead of them. Most people would see that as unfair and not right.”
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      In-form Bradford City star Callum Cooke hoping to stir-up League Two promotion mix in budding partnership with Andy Cook

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      TOO many chefs may spoil the broth – but a Cooke and a Cook partnership is stirring up the League Two promotion mix nicely.
      Bradford City have enjoyed a remarkable turnaround over the past two-and-a-half months since Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars took charge.

      Callum Cooke and Bradford City are flying high in League TwoCredit: Getty

      The playmaker and on-loan striker Andy Cook are developing a telepathic understandingCredit: Bradford City AFC and Thomas Gadd Photography

      The Bantams looked to be stuck in a relegation battle before an incredible run of 33 points in 14 games catapulted them into the play-off picture.
      Tuesday’s victory over Mansfield was the club’s fifth-straight win and they head to Bolton on Saturday just four points off their sixth-placed rivals.
      One of the star men in their revival has been playmaker Callum Cooke, 24.
      The former Middlesbrough and Peterborough ace, who tasted European Championship joy with England U17s in 2014, also seems to be developing a telepathic understanding with on-loan striker Andy Cook.

      The hotshot, who was ineligible to face his parent club in midweek, has found the net three times in five appearances since his arrival in January.
      Cooke said: “Him and Danny Rowe know my game now where I always look to play on the front foot and go forward.
      “I got both assists for big Andy Cook against Cheltenham a few weeks ago. The second one I just played it with the outside of my foot instinctively for him to pounce on, so it’s vital to have that understanding.
      “I have a good understanding with him and Rowey, but it’s important to have it with everyone.

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      The attacker and his fellow Bantams are now looking up for promotion after their poor startCredit: Getty

      Cooke has scored three goals and grabbed eight assists this seasonCredit: Rex Features

      “Playing No10, you can go a long while without the ball, so it’s up to the lads behind me to get me on it, and to be fair they are finding me in my favourite position in the pockets between the midfield and defence and that’s where I can hurt other teams.”
      Bradford sacked club legend Stuart McCall in December after a run of six-straight defeats left them third bottom.
      Cooke, who was being deployed as a defensive midfielder at the time, insists he always believed the squad had the quality to turn things around but both himself and his team-mates just needed to be let off the leash.
      Cooke said: “I played like a No4 in a quarter-back position to try and get on the ball and start the attacks.
      “I don’t have a problem with that as it’s good to get that extra knowledge of different positions but to get the best out of me I think I need to play as an attacking midfielder.
      “I didn’t say anything as I was just glad to be playing games after not getting anywhere near as many games as I wanted at Peterborough.
      “I’ve now got eight assists and three goals, which is not too bad considering I was playing further back and we still have a lot of games left.  I just want to keep building on that.”

      Cooke and his Bradford team-mates have won their last five matchesCredit: Rex Features

      The former Peterborough and England youth star hopes to continue that run against BoltonCredit: Rex Features
      He continued: “I always thought we were capable of going on a good run as we have really good players but it is remarkable. We are in a really good place but it is all down to hard work in training.
      “We all know this squad has talent but it was a case of taking the shackles off us and since that has happened we haven’t looked back.
      “We are taking it game-by-game but we know as players we could be on the cusp of something really special with this massive club.”
      The next hurdle for Cooke and his fellow Bantams are the division’s other in-form side Bolton, who have risen to sixth following their own six-match winning run.
      But the Trotters hold no fear as the star said: “We are the two form teams in the division and for the neutral it will be a fantastic game.
      “We go into it fearing nobody. We beat Cheltenham who are top of the league, but we’ve taken points off other teams in the play-offs as well.
      “We know that on our day we are capable of beating anybody. It should be an interesting game and one we are all looking forward to.”

      On-loan Andy Cook has scored three goals in five games since his arrivalCredit: Getty Images
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      Britain’s greenest football club Forest Green Rovers create eco-friendly kit made from coffee beans

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      BRITAIN’S greenest football club have grounds to celebrate — their new eco-friendly kit is made from coffee beans.
      Forest Green Rovers, who went climate neutral in 2017, have partnered with PlayerLayer to create a prototype strip which also contains recycled plastic.

      Forest Green Rovers’ new eco-friendly kit is made from coffee beans

      The League Two club have been named by Fifa as the greenest in the world

      The football club partnered with PlayerLayer to create the green strip

      The League Two club, named by Fifa as the greenest in the world, will play their first game in the new lime and black tiger-striped kit on Saturday when they take on Colchester United.
      The coffee-based fabric has been a top performer in initial tests and has been found to be lighter, breathable and more durable than the club’s current kit — which is also made of eco-friendly bamboo.
      Forest Green’s environmental credentials include having a vegan menu at their ground in Nailsworth, Gloucs, and solar panels with electric charging points.
      Proceeds from kit sales will be split between Gloucestershire NHS and charity One Tree Planted.

      Club chairman Dale Vince said: “It’s time football wakes up and smells the coffee about the planet’s future.
      “This prototype kit will bring new flavour to that old cliché of grinding out a result.”

      The new prototype strip also contains recycled plastic

      Forest Green Rovers will play their first game in the new lime and black tiger-striped kit on Saturday

      We want to know what your kids think about the environment, climate change and the future of the planet.
      What are their concerns, and what would they like to change?

      Add your child’s comments here. We will print the best.  

      From vegan pies to bamboo kits, Forest Green Rovers are the greenest football club in the world
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      Mark Wright subbed 45 minutes into horror debut as boss blasts ‘farcical’ display with Crawley 3-0 down by half time

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      REALITY TV STAR Mark Wright suffered a disastrous full debut for Crawley Town as he was substituted at HALF TIME.
      The 34-year-old’s team were 3-0 down to newly-promoted Harrogate Town at the break.

      Mark Wright had a nightmare EFL debut against HarrogateCredit: Rex Features

      The 34-year-old was taken off at half-time by Crawley boss John YemsCredit: Rex Features

      Wright started alongside his brother Josh, 31, who previously played for Championship side MillwallCredit: Rex Features

      Wright was making his first start for Crawley since signing for the League Two side in December.
      It was also the left-back’s long-awaited EFL debut.
      The game started terribly for Crawley as goals from Aaron Martin, Josh March and Simon Power gave Harrogate a 3-0 lead.
      Crawley manager John Yems decided to take Wright off at the break in a triple substitution.

      To make matters worse for the reality TV star, his replacement Tom Dallison scored as it finished 3-1 to Harrogate.
      The Crawley boss was keen to defend Wright despite hauling him off.
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      The former TOWIE star would have been buzzing during the warm-up, but his full debut didn’t go to planCredit: Rex Features

      Wright’s impressive performances at Soccer Aid have encouraged him to try and become a professionalCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      He is married to former Corrie star Michelle KeeganCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Yems said: “It wasn’t Mark’s fault, but today it was farcical first half, absolutely farcical.

      “It’s easy for me to say that players have got to stand up and be counted, but they have now, if not there’ll be changes and there will be changes.”
      Crawley fans watching remotely were sympathetic to Wright’s plight, acknowledging the entire team were to blame.
      One fan tweeted: “You’ve been absolutely awful. Don’t think Mark Wright has played particularly badly, but the other 10 players have been dreadful.”
      Another said: “Can’t just blame Wright, whole team completely lifeless.”
      Not all were convinced, though, as one tweeted: “He was lost out there and should be no where near our club.”

      Decided to watch your lot today. You’ve been absolutely awful. Don’t think Mark Wright has played particularly badly, but the other 10 players have been dreadful.
      — Scott Eaglen (@ScottEaglen) February 6, 2021

      Brutal half from Crawley. Very easy to lump all the blame on Mark Wright but he was far from the biggest problem. Performance from some of those players was nothing short of disgraceful.
      — Alex Burke (@AlexBurke1) February 6, 2021

      Wright will need to improve significantly if he is to make it as a professional.
      He had been semi-pro at Crawley in 2006/07 before shooting to fame on The Only Way Is Essex.
      Wright left the game after becoming a household name as Crawley went on to achieve promotion to the EFL.
      But his desire to play football never diminished and he has starred at Soccer Aid, with Chelsea legend John Terry encouraging him to go professional.

      Wright joined the League Two side on a non-contract basis in December.
      He made his professional debut as a late substitute in Crawley’s shock 3-0 win against Leeds in the FA Cup last month.
      But the former TOWIE star had to wait until yesterday for his EFL debut after a coronavirus outbreak at the club forced him to self-isolate with his wife Michelle Keegan.
      Wright’s brother Josh is also a professional footballer and joined him at Crawley in January.

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      EFL chiefs forced to AXE salary cap rules in Leagues One and Two after losing legal battle with PFA

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      EFL chiefs have been forced to drop their salary cap rules in Leagues One and Two after losing a legal case against the PFA.
      Clubs voted to approve the wages limits in August.

      PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor said the salary caps were in ‘breach of obligations’ as the players’ union won their case against themCredit: PA:Press Association

      EFL chiefs will now hold meetings later this week with its member clubs to discuss what to do next after withdrawing League One and Two wage limits

      The measures capped League One club wages at £2.5milion per season, with sides in League Two limited to £1.5m.
      But PFA chiefs launched their action after accusing EFL bosses of failing to consult properly with the union.
      Now an independent arbitration panel has found in favour of the PFA, forcing the Football League to drop the caps with immediate effect.
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      The PFA said it “welcomed” the decision, adding: “We hope to to open constructive dialogue to agree reasonable and proportionate cost control measures for the future.
      PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor added: “We were disappointed that the EFL decided to introduce salary cap proposals, which were voted through without the proper consideration or consultation.
      “We argued the new rules were in breach of obligations and are pleased the panel uheld the PFA’s claim.”
      Union bosses insist they are aligned with the EFL in a wish to see sustainable clubs at all levels. 

      A PFA spokesman added: “We also recognise the huge economic pressure that clubs have come under due to the Covid-19 crisis.
      “The PFA believes it is now in the best interest of the leagues, the clubs, and the players to work together and agree on rules that promote financial stability.”
      The EFL said they “will now discuss the matter of financial controls and implications linked to this outcome at a series of meetings with its member clubs later this week”.
      Back when the plans had been approved in August, EFL chief executive David Baldwin admitted: “The term ‘salary cap’ is an emotive one, creating the impression of a restrictive measure.

      “But we are clear in our view that this is neither the objective nor the likely effect of these changes to EFL regulations.”
      He stressed the aim was to “help ensure clubs cannot extend themselves to the point that could cause financial instability”.
      As a result of the panel’s verdict, the EFL have brought back last season’s Salary Cost Management Protocol (SCMP) regulations that link “player-related expenditure to turnover”.

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      Mark Wright seen for first time smiling in snow since being hauled off at half-time in horror Crawley debut

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      MARK WRIGHT refused to let his horror full debut ruin his week – as he posted a photo all smiles in the snow.
      The reality TV star, 34, has signed for League Two outfit Crawley and came on in the FA Cup win over Leeds.

      Mark Wright put the disappointment of his full EFL debut behind him by enjoying an espresso in the snowCredit: Instagram

      And after self-isolating with wife Michelle Keegan following a Covid outbreak at the club, he was handed his first EFL start on Saturday afternoon for the clash against Harrogate at home.
      But it went horribly wrong for the left-back as Crawley fell 3-0 behind by half-time – enough for manager John Yems to haul the ex-TOWIE man off.
      Wright, though, took to Instagram on Monday night to show how he had put the stinker behind him.
      He enjoyed the winter weather by heading out and grabbing an espresso.

      Wright wrote to his 1.8million followers: “Blitz out here…. Small coffee or big fella??”
      Harry Redknapp was among those to comment on the post, adding a couple of praising-hands emojis.
      Wright will be desperate to put in a better performance next weekend when the Red Devils travel north to Carlisle.
      However, he may have to settle for a place on the bench after his replacement against Harrogate, Tom Dallison, scored eight minutes after coming on to reduce the deficit.

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      Boss Yems refued to pin the blame on the ex-Tottenahm youngster, though, and said: “It wasn’t Mark’s fault, but today it was farcical first half, absolutely farcical.
      “It’s easy for me to say that players have got to stand up and be counted, but they have now, if not there’ll be changes and there will be changes.”

      Wright endured a difficult time against Harrogate, conceding three before half-time and being hauled off at the breakCredit: Rex Features

      He made his Crawley debut off the bench as the Red Devils stunned Leeds in the FA Cup third roundCredit: Alamy Live News

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