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      I was one of the biggest names on Sky Sport’s F1 coverage before sacking… I still have no idea why they got rid of me

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      JOHNNY HERBERT has revealed he has no idea why Sky Sports decided to sack him from their F1 presenting team after 11 years.Herbert joined the broadcaster during the 2012 season when it won the rights to show the F1 action in the UK.
      Johnny Herbert was a central figure in the Sky Sports F1 commentary teamCredit: Getty
      The pundit raced in Formula 1 himselfCredit: AP:Associated Press
      He became a central figure in the coverage of the sport, often reminiscing about his own time in Formula One with teams like Jaguar and Sauber.
      However, Sky Sports decided to axe him from the commentary team two months before this year’s coverage started, along with fellow pundit and former driver Paul di Resta.
      Both were at the end of their respective contracts but were not offered extensions.
      It was speculated that cost-cutting was behind Sky Sports’ decision not to have the two back.
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      Herbert posted a photo of the Sky Sports F1 team to Instagram to confirm his departure from the broadcaster.
      It was captioned: “Going to miss this team.”
      Speaking to The Mirror, Herbert has now revealed that he still doesn’t know why the broadcaster decided against renewing his contract.
      He said: “I didn’t decide to step away – I thought everything was going ahead!
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      “And then I got a call in December, I think it was, when I was told things were changing.
      “It wasn’t really explained why or what was changing. There was a mention of social media stuff and that was about it, really. I really don’t know.
      “I was always aware – at Sky they do these subscriber checks where you’re given points out of 10 – and I’ve always known I was always quite popular on that side.
      “It’s a shame, but I’m over it. Moving on.”
      Herbert is now presenting his own podcast called Lift the Lid, which he co-hosts with fellow racer Billy Monger.
      The two give their opinions on current F1 stories, and were brought together through their own near-fatal crashes.
      Herbert said about the podcast “This is great to do with Billy, for example.
      “There are other opportunities out there, once again just proving that if you work hard you can find different avenues to carry on being involved in the sport we love.
      “So there’s other things going on, which is fine.
      “Yes, it’s disappointing, but I’ve moved on.”
      The 59-year old added that he didn’t think he would be returning to TV screens this season.
      He added: “I did my 11 years at Sky and it was good. Now there are other things I am doing.
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      “Because it was in December it was all quite late in terms of sorting other things out.
      “There are a lot of other opportunities but, in terms of seeing me on a TV screen, there’s probably nothing planned on that front.”
      Herbert posted that he’d miss the team after he was axed
      Herbert now co-hosts a podcast with former British F4 racer Billy Monger, who suffered a horrific crash in 2017Credit: PA More

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      Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag insisted grass cut to 2mm, fumed at drinks not lined up and built window into office

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      ERIK TEN HAG has gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure his managerial career would be a success.The Dutchman, 53, helped spark a Red Devils revival – winning the League Cup, reaching the FA Cup final and qualifying for the Champions League in his first season.
      Erik ten Hag strives for perfection as a manager
      The ex-Ajax chief is well known for his constant striving for perfection on the pitch, but he also demands it off it too.
      Sjoerd Overgoor, who was managed by his countryman at Go Ahead Eagles, told Sky Sports: “He wanted the drinks put out in straight lines.
      “Everything had to be perfect in his eyes. People needed time to get used to that. ”
      Ten Hag’s constant need for perfection was even felt by Go Ahead Eagles’ groundsmen.
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      Overgoor recalled: “We had one man whose job it was to look after the pitch.
      “Every day, Erik would be coming to him and saying that the grass had to be two millimetres or something like that.”
      Ten Hag even had a window built into his office door so he could keep an extra eye on his players.
      Overgoor said:  “He put a window in his office door.
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      “We were all saying to each other that he was doing that so he could see what we were doing.”
      Ten Hag led Dutch minnows Go Ahead Eagles to their first promotion in 17 years during his solitary season at the De Adelaarshorst stadium.
      Overgoor said of his brief reign: “That was a big difference for everyone at the club.
      “He changed everything. Remember, this is not a big club in Holland.
      “We did not have the best facilities but he made them the best.
      “A lot of coaches come to clubs like Eagles and have the attitude that they have to deal with it.
      “He did not deal with it. Instead, he made it better and better.”
      United’s stars have already felt the force of Ten Hag’s n o-nonsense approach – once having to run nearly ten miles the day after a 4-0 loss to Brentford at the start of last season.
      Cristiano Ronaldo was also frozen out by the coach and later sold after he refused to come on as a sub.
      Ten Hag now enters his second season in charge at United, having led them to a third-place finish last season.
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      He has completed the signing of Mason Mount but is still looking for at least a new keeper and centre forward.
      Erik ten Hag has been known for his extraordinary managerial methodsCredit: Getty More

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      Former Arsenal transfer chief says why club made infamous £40m+£1 bid for Suarez, when there was NO release clause

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      ARSENAL’S former transfer chief Dick Law revealed why the club made their infamous £40million and £1 bid for Luis Suarez.The Uruguay international looked set to move to the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2013 after Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions League.
      Luis Suarez was heavily linked with a switch from Liverpool to Arsenal in summer 2013Credit: PA:Press Association
      The now 36-year-old had a clause in his contract with the Reds that they had to inform him of any transfer bid if it was more than £40m.
      And Law insisted that Arsenal were always aware the figure was not a buy-out clause and they simply added the extra pound to kick-start negotiations.
      But Liverpool owner John W. Henry took offence to the offer and, after it was publicised, he tweeted: “What do you think they’re smoking over there?”
      Suarez ended up remaining at Anfield for another season where he was named PFA Player of the Year before sealing a £75m move to Barcelona.
      Several years later and the striker was available for a nominal fee, leaving Barcelona for Atletico Madrid in 2020, where he won the LaLiga title.
      The Gunners’ then-transfer guru Law would later explain that the North London side had never wanted to antagonise their Premier League rivals.
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      Speaking to Goal, he said: “That spring, news got round to us that Suarez wanted out of Liverpool.
      “We knew that we had to exceed a certain threshold and so we decided to throw another pound on it.
      “We could have thrown £50 or £500,000, but it wasn’t going to make any difference to the final negotiation.
      “The offer was just a trigger. Liverpool wanted to make a big deal out of it and that’s fine. When they received our offer they immediately publicised it.
      “I think John Henry wanted to know what we were smoking, which I thought was a bit disrespectful.
      “It was him having a bit of a go because he was getting ready to lose his star player. It was a good way to deflect attention.
      “I always thought that the move to publicise it was counter-productive.
      “One of the things we were always very proud of at Arsenal was working quietly behind the scenes. Ivan [Gazidis], Arsene [Wenger] and I always worked very hard on being discreet in all transfers.
      “And I thought Liverpool shot themselves in the foot by basically saying they were now forced to entertain offers because of this clause, by publicising it they just made everyone aware and eventually they lost the player.”
      Liverpool wanted to make a big deal out of it. I think John Henry wanted to know what we were smoking, which I thought was a bit disrespectful.Dick Law
      Arsenal’s transfer fixer at the time Dick Law has lifted the lid on the Gunners pursuitCredit: Rex Features
      Liverpool owner John W Henry infamously asked ‘what do you think they’re smoking at the Emirates’Credit: PA:Press Association More

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      England’s Under-17 European Championship winning team from 2010 and where they are now, including an ex-Man Utd star

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      ENGLAND fans might remember 2010 as the year the Three Lions crashed out of the World Cup in the last-16 to Germany on the back of a highly contentious no-goal decision.But that same summer, the Young Lions were victorious at the Under-17 European Championships in Liechtenstein.
      Jack Butland recently signed for Rangers from Crystal PalaceCredit: PA:Press Association
      England’s youth team fought back from a goal down to beat a Spain team featuring the likes of Paco Alcacer and Gerard Deulofeu 2-1 in the final.
      Many of the players in the squad from that day were tipped for big things in the future.
      However, despite their early promise, the starting XI have mostly flopped at senior level. We take a look back at the starters from that May day in 2010 and where they are now.JACK BUTLAND
      Heralded as a potential goalie legend, Butland started off his career at Birmingham before moving to Stoke City in a £3.5million deal.
      He made his full debut for England in a 2012 defeat to Italy – and is still to this day the youngest goalie to ever play for the Three Lions.
      In 2015, he was handed the No1 jersey by Mark Hughes when Asmir Begovic left for Chelsea.
      However, a series of injuries to a bothersome ankle hampered his progress.
      Still only 30, Butland has move to Rangers in Scotland after a spell at Crystal Palace.
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      BRUNO PILATOS
      Originally a promising Middlesbrough full-back, Pilatos signed for Swedish side Ytterhogdal in 2016 after failing to secure first-team football.
      He was released again in 2017, and in 2018 spent two months in Scotland with Livingston FC, according to his LinkedIn page.
      Pilatos was last known to be plying his trade for non-league Bishop Auckland.
      LUKE GARBUTT
      Predicted to be the heir to Leighton Baines, Garbutt was an attacking left-back in a similar mould to the Everton legend.
      But he failed to establish himself with the Toffees, and was sold to Blackpool in 2020.
      He also had several loans with Ipswich Town – and has enjoyed loan spells at Fulham, Wigan and Oxford United in the past.
      Garbutt now plays his football for Salford City.
      Luke Garbutt failed to make the grade at EvertonCredit: Dave Pinegar – The Sun
      NATHANIEL CHALOBAH
      When Chalobah was starring at centre half for England’s U17 team he was a promising Chelsea starlet, alongside brother Trevoh.
      In 2012 he enjoyed a loan at Watford, impressed at Middlesbrough and Reading, which led to a move to Napoli.
      Five years later, upon his return to the Blues, he was sold to Watford.
      Chalobah was signed by Fulham in 2021, before moving to West Brom in the January transfer window.
      Nathaniel Chalobah struggled with injuries at WatfordCredit: PA:Press Association
      ANDRE WISDOM
      The central defender managed to make 22 appearances with Liverpool, often at right-back.
      But it was always going to be a big ask to break into a Reds side brimming with talent.
      He was playing in the Championship with Derby from 2017 after impressing on loan there during the 2013-14 season, but quit the club in 2021 and has been a free agent since.
      Andre Wisdom has been playing in the Championship with Derby since 2017Credit: JOHN CLIFTON
      CONOR COADY
      Coady failed to make the grade at Liverpool.
      However, at Wolves he became a steady Premier League player and captained the side.
      In August 2020 he was called up to Gareth Southgate’s England senior side and went on to be part of the Euros squad.
      Last season, he was loaned out to Everton where he helped the side avoid relegation on the final day of the campaign.
      Leicester recently splashed £7.5million on the centre back, as they look to bounce back from relegation.
      Conor Coady is now captain at WolvesCredit: PA:Press Association
      WILL KEANE
      The Manchester United starlet played three times at Old Trafford, but was never good enough to make the grade.
      Most of his career has been spent plying his trade in the Championship with QPR, Sheffield Wednesday, Preston North End, before he signed for Hull and Ipswich.
      He now plays for Wigan. He has also made himself available for the Republic of Ireland.
      Former Man Utd starlet Will Keane reps Ireland nowCredit: Rex Features
      ROSS BARKLEY
      The cream of the crop after breaking into the Everton side as a teen, Barkley showed flashes of brilliance that saw him compared to Paul Gascoigne.
      Sadly, he never managed to sustain his form with the Toffees, and a move to Stamford Bridge in 2018 for £15million was seen as a chance for him to start afresh.
      He didn’t live up to expectation at Chelsea, and was shipped off to Aston Villa on loan.
      With Dean Smith’s side, the 29-year-old did show glimpses of the old magic, but that failed to earn him a permanent move.
      Nice bought him last year, but he was released by the French club at the end of June.
      Ross Barkley moved to Chelsea in 2018 for £15millionCredit: Alamy Live News
      JOSH McEACHRAN
      Chelsea product McEachran was dubbed a class outfit at youth level for the Blues because of his brilliance on the ball.
      The tidy midfielder managed to play 11 times for the West Londoners, before he was sold to Brentford in 2017 for £750,000. In 2019, he moved to Birmingham for a free transfer.
      He was released at the end of the January transfer window in 2021 and had a spell at Milton Keynes Dons.
      This month, McEachran signed for Oxford United.
      Josh McEachran played 11 times for the BluesCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      BENIK AFOBE
      The former Arsenal starlet was once targeted by Barcelona before committing a deal as a youngster with the Gunners.
      Following a series of loans, most successfully at Wolves when they were in the Championship, Premier League Bournemouth paid £10million for Afobe’s services.
      He failed to live up to standards of the top division, and was loaned out to Turkish club Trabzonspor.
      He has since gone on to play for DR Congo, but a spell at Millwall couldn’t reignite his career.
      Afobe has since set up home in Dubai, where he plays for Hatta Club.
      Ex-Arsenal starlet Afobe has found goals hard to come by at the top levelCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      CONNOR WICKHAM
      After showing promise with Ipswich in the Championship, the powerful centre forward signed for Premier League Sunderland in a deal worth £12million in 2011.
      In his four years with the Black Cats he struggled for goals – scoring just 15 times in 91 games.
      In 2015, Crystal Palace signed Wickham for £9million – but a serious knee injury put pay to his progress in South London.
      His fall from grace has now seen him play for Milton Keynes Dons, then Forest Green Rovers and recently Cardiff City until the end of the last campaign.
      Connor Wickham celebrates scoring for Crystal PalaceCredit: PA:Empics Sport More

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      I’m an ex-footballer who was once sold for 15kg of sausages, which forced me to retire because of embarrassment

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      FORMER footballer Marius Cioara revealed that he had to retire from embarrassment due to a transfer he made.He once made a move from Romanian fourth division side UT Arad to second division outfit Regal Hornia, but it was the transfer ‘fee’ that stood out.
      Marius Cioara moved from UT Arad to Regal Hornia
      His transfer fee was 15kgs of sausagesCredit: Dan Charity – The Sun
      The defender was bought by Hornia for 15kgs of pork sausages in 2006, which is very strange in a world that has seen stars be sold for hundreds of millions.
      However, he did not stay for long as he retired from football the very next day.
      A local media outlet quoted Cioara saying: “The sausage taunts all got too much.
      “They were joking, but I would have got more from the Germans and making sausage jokes was a huge insult.
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      “I have decided to go to Spain where I have got a job on a farm.”
      As a result, Hornia then asked to be refunded the sausages from UT Arad.
      But interestingly enough, Cioara is not the only player to have had a transfer fee paid for with food.
      During the 2000/01 season in Norway, Kenneth Kristiansen moved between third-tier teams Vindbjart and Flekkeroy.
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      His fee was calculated by his weight – 75kg- and the currency was shrimp.
      On the transfer, Flekkeroy chairman Rolf Guttormsen said: “I had no idea if it was a joke or deadly serious.
      “The Vindbjart chairman said that it was a bit of both, but they wanted the shrimp.
      “No problem, we have enough shrimp.” More

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      Ex-Arsenal forward Robin van Persie names the six best players he has played with, including four Man Utd legends

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      ROBIN VAN PERSIE named the six best players he played with in his career – and four of them were Manchester United legends.The former Arsenal captain, who spent his last three seasons in England at Old Trafford, retired from football at the age of 35.
      Robin van Persie has named four Man Utd legends among six best players he ever played withCredit: AFP
      Van Persie, now 39, controversially moved to United in 2012 having rejected a contract extension offer from Arsenal.
      He went on to win the Premier League title in his first season at Old Trafford.
      And the Dutch hotshot seemingly has fond memories from his time in the red half of Manchester, naming four Red Devils stars amongst the best players he shared the pitch with.
      When asked to pick his most talented team-mate, he told BBC Sport: “So difficult to name one.
      “I would go for Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney and Ruud van Nistelrooy.”
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      Van Nistelrooy left Old Trafford in 2006 – long before Van Persie joined United.
      But the two strikers played together for Holland, earning 172 caps and bagging 85 goals between them.
      The former Arsenal skipper also labelled former Red Devils duo Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand as the best two defenders he ever faced.
      Following a three-year spell at Fenerbahce, Van Persie moved back to his homeland to end his career at boyhood club Feyenoord, where he is now assistant coach under Arne Slot.
      He claims he could have stayed at Old Trafford for one more season back in 2015 as he still had one year left on his contract.
      But the striker decided to ‘move on’ when then-United coach Louis van Gaal made it crystal clear he was not in his plans.
      The Dutch forward fired Manchester United to the title in his first year at the clubCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      Van Persie said: “Because I had one more year on my deal, maybe I should have stayed.
      “But then Van Gaal was the coach and he made it quite clear what his intentions were.
      “Then you have to make a decision: Do you stay and fight for your place?
      “Would it be an honest competition or not? Based on all that info, we decided to move on.
      “But three years is not three days, it’s still a long period, it’s still a big part of my football career, and in total 11 years of football in England… as a kid I would never have dreamed of that.” More

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      Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville NEVER received a single transfer enquiry from another club but wouldn’t have left Man Utd

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      MANCHESTER UNITED legend Gary Neville once revealed that no club EVER enquired about signing him – and said he would never have left Old Trafford anyway.The Red Devils icon, 48, said his head was never once turned during his time in the red half of Manchester.
      Gary Neville says no club ever came in for him – and that he wouldn’t have quit anyway
      A 2020 trip to Miami made Neville realise what he may have missed out on during his careerCredit: Instagram @gneville2
      While Neville claimed he never wanted to quit Old Trafford, travelling to the US for Inter Miami’s first-ever home game – with ex-team-mate David Beckham the team owner – opened his eyes to what he missed out on as a player.
      Nev made the incredible revelations during a chat with Geoff Shreeves on Sky Sports’ Off Script podcast in April 2020.
      When asked by Shreeves if any other club came knocking for him during his playing days, Neville replied: “None that I’ve ever been made aware and none that I’ve known of.
      “I imagine that Sir Alex in his post-Manchester United career or in his interviews when I left the club would have said that someone would have come in for me or something like that.
      “It would have come out. So no, I’m unaware of any interest that’s ever been shown in me.”
      I imagine that Sir Alex in his post-Manchester United career or in his interviews when I left the club would have said that someone would have come in for me or something like thatGary Neville
      Neville went on to say that, even if another team had made a move for him, he wouldn’t have accepted.
      The ex-England defender said: “Never for one second did I ever take the blinkers off.
      “I could never understand, for instance just before David Beckham left I knew a months before that there was probably something brewing.
      “I couldn’t get my head around it at the time – with me being so Manchester United – how any player that was at the club would ever think to want to leave.
      “I just couldn’t compute it at all. For myself it never once entered my head.
      “My contract negotiations, the longest was probably three meetings, when Peter Kenyon was the CEO.
      “They were normally done inside one or two meetings. They were always long contracts.”
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      But that’s not to say Neville thinks he was necessarily right to be a one-club man.
      His trip to the US in 2020 to watch Beckham’s MLS side, Inter Miami, play their first home game made Neville realise what he may have missed out on.
      Nev continued: “I remember thinking that what I thought in my mid-20s, when David left, I couldn’t understand it.
      “But then when I saw the furore around his first game in Miami.
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      “He’s played at Real Madrid, he’s played at AC Milan, he’s played at Paris Saint-Germain, he’s played in LA, he’s now got a club in Miami…
      “The experiences that he’s had in his life are just out of this world, and obviously if he’d stayed at Manchester United he would never have experienced them.
      “So is he richer in his experience for the bold decision that he made? He definitely is.”
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      Roy Keane claims Cristiano Ronaldo WASN’T one of the five world-class players at Man Utd he played with at

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      ROY KEANE played alongside some of the biggest names in Manchester United’s long and illustrious history  – but only FIVE players were worthy of being called world-class.And club legend Cristiano Ronaldo was NOT one of them.
      Roy Keane says Denis Irwin was world class but left Cristiano Ronaldo off his list
      The former Red Devils captain, who acrimoniously left the club in 2005 – made the stunning revelation after his old side was held to a 1-1 draw with Arsenal in September 2019.
      Keane stunned United fans across the globe by telling left Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher: “We never gave ourselves an opportunity to talk about players being world-class.
      “But if I look back now, you’d have to class Giggsy [Ryan Giggs].
      “I always class the world class players as lads who were doing it for nine, ten, 11 years – obviously Giggsy’s done it for a lot longer, but to me, that’s the key to being a really good player – you’ve got to be consistent.

      “We see players now, they have a good month and [they’re] patting themselves on the back.
      “You have to be good for years and years, and Giggsy would have been a prime example.”

      Keane’s world-class list also included fellow United legends, Paul Scholes, Eric Cantona and Mark Hughes the latter of whom he dubbed a “brilliant striker.”
      But it was his old friend and former room-mate Denis Irwin who received the most glowing review.
      The former Republic of Ireland international said of his countryman: “My God, imagine if Denis Irwin was playing now.
      “He could play left-back, right-back, get you a goal, knew how to defend, never injured, a brilliant guy in the dressing room.
      “Denis would be world class to me – and he’s a Corkman!”
      Keane’s omission of Ronaldo left United fans gobsmacked as the Portuguese superstar was the first Red Devil to win the Ballon d’Or since George Best in 1968.
      But the notoriously hard-to-please Irishman’s snub of the six-time Ballon d’Or winner was likely down to the fact they only played together for two seasons, when Ronaldo was still developing.
      Keane captained United during a historically successful period for the club and won the Premier League seven times with the club.
      He walked out on the club in 2005 after an explosive in-house interview criticising his team-mates’ display after a 4-1 defeat to Middlesbrough. More