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    Terry Venables’ incredible Euro 96 England squad and where they are now from Sky Sports pundit to waistcoat-wearer

    LEGENDARY boss Terry Venables guided England to the semi-final at Euro 1996.The tournament had fans across the country believing football was coming home until the Three Lions were beaten by Germany on penalties.
    Terry Venables led England as fans dared to dreamCredit: Getty
    The Three Lions made the semi-finals and lost on penaltiesCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
    From Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham destroying Holland to Paul Gascoigne’s incredible goal and dentist chair celebration in victory over Scotland, and who can forget a nervy shootout 4-2 win over Spain in the quarter-finals?
    Euro 96 has a special place in the hearts of many.
    Venables united a country and following the sad news of his passing, SunSport take a look at where that iconic England squad are now.
    David Seaman
    Seaman was vital at the home tournament, saving a penalty in the shootout win against Spain and against Scotland in the group stages.
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    The 60-year-old starred on Dancing on Ice in 2008, where he met wife Frankie.
    He now lives a quiet life and often goes fishing.
    Tim Flowers
    Flowers played between the sticks for the likes of Southampton and Blackburn during his career.
    Since hanging up his gloves, he has forged a career in management with Macclesfield Town, Barnet and most recently Gloucester City – where he left in September this year.
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    Ian Walker
    As third choice goalkeeper at Euro 1996, the ex-Tottenham and Leicester stopper could be easily forgotten by some.
    Walker has worked as a coach in China with Super League club Shanghai Port since 2014.
    Ian Walker (left) alongside David SeamanCredit: AFP
    Gary Neville
    Neville was England’s youngest starter at the tournament and Venables showed huge trust in the soon to be Manchester United icon.
    He is now one of the faces of Sky Sports as a pundit and commentator.
    Neville was keen for Venables to continue as manager beyond Euro 1996 and labelled him one of England’s best ever coaches.
    Phil Neville
    Gary’s younger brother Phil made his England debut in a friendly just before the Euros kicked off.
    After enjoying a lengthy career at Man Utd and Everton, Neville retired and begun coaching.
    He has since held roles in charge of the Lionesses, Inter Miami and this month he landed another managerial job in the MLS with Portland Timbers.
    Tony Adams
    The no-nonsense centre-back and Arsenal legend captained the Three Lions at the iconic tournament.
    He had managerial spells with Wycombe, Portsmouth, Azerbaijani team Gabala and Spanish side Granada.
    Adams starred on Strictly Come Dancing last year and he now raises money for charity after battling alcoholism.
    Adams was skipper at Euro 96Credit: Rex
    Gareth Southgate
    Southgate missed the crucial penalty in the semi-final defeat to Germany.
    He is now England’s waist-coat wearing manager, who went one beyond Venables at Euro 2020 as the Three Lions made the final.
    Gareth Southgate missed a penalty in the semi-final shootoutCredit: Getty
    Steve Howey
    Howey played for Newcastle during the summer of 1996.
    He has since had a career on radio and can be hired as an after dinner speaker.
    Sol Campbell
    Campbell was at Tottenham at the time football nearly came home – before he controversial move to Arsenal.
    The centre-back has been in the dugout as a manager but now no longer wants to be on the touchline following studying at the prestigious Harvard University.
    Stuart Pearce
    Pearce’s passionate celebration after scoring in the shootout against Spain will never be forgotten.
    The man nicknamed “Psycho” has worked as a manager and coach at a host of clubs as well as England’s Under-21s.
    Pearce is nowadays often heard chatting all things Premier League on the radio with talkSPORT.
    Stuart Pearce was England’s left-back for Euro 1996Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
    Darren Anderton
    Anderton’s career was plagued by injuries but he managed to feature in all five of England’s games at Euro 1996.
    He now works as a pundit in Canada.
    Nick Barmby
    Barmby managed just one appearance en route to the semi-finals.
    He took charge of Hull for one season in the 2011-12 campaign and last worked as a coach at Scunthorpe in 2019.
    Paul Ince
    Paul Ince ran the show in the England midfield and played for the likes of Man Utd, Inter Milan and Liverpool.
    He returned to management last season with Reading, nine years after last stepping into the dugout with Blackpool.
    Ince left the Royals in April this year and has since been out of work.
    Paul Ince up against Switzerland in the group stagesCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
    David Platt
    Platt was one of the most experienced members of the England squad in the summer of 96.
    He coached for several years at Manchester City and now shares his experience at a grassroots club Boundary Park.
    Paul Gascoigne
    The England legend was one of the most much-loved players in the squad and Venables was able to get the best out of his talent.
    Since retiring Gazza has battled mental health and alcohol problems.
    Paul Gascoigne starred in the tournamentCredit: Getty
    Jamie Redknapp
    A young Redknapp made just one substitute appearance at the tournament.
    He is now a well-dressed face of Sky Sports as a pundit and as a star of hit show A League of Their Own.
    Steve McManaman
    McManaman was a tricky winger that gave the Three Lions pace and creativity on the flank.
    He now features as a co-commentator on TNT Sports.
    Steve McManaman is now a commentator and punditCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
    Steve Stone
    Stone was at Nottingham Forest when he was called up to the England squad for the Euros.
    He now works as part of Sean Dyche’s coaching team at Everton after previously working with him at Burnley.
    Alan Shearer
    The Premier League all-time leading goalscorer won the Golden Boot at Euro 96.
    Shearer is now a pundit on Match of the Day.
    Alan Shearer was top scorer with five goalsCredit: Reuters
    Teddy Sheringham
    Sheringham netted twice as England smashed Holland 4-1 in the group stages.
    Since retiring, the striker has won thousands as a poker played, managed in India and dressed as a tree in the Masked Singer.
    Les Ferdinand
    Ferdinand may have been one of the Premier League best striker but he surprisingly didn’t play a minute at Euro 96.
    He stepped down as QPR’s director of football in the summer.
    Robbie Fowler
    Fowler had only recently burst onto the scene and the iconic tournament was his first in an England shirt.
    He most recently managed in the Saudi second tier with Al-Qadsiah.
    Fowler guided them to six wins in eight games but was shockingly sacked last month.
    The iconic ‘it’s coming home’ song was born in 1996Credit: Offside Sports More

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    Fans hail Adam Smith as ‘voice of boxing’ as Sky Sports legend does live TV interview on DAZN after cancer fight

    VIEWERS were as thrilled as Adam Scott as the “voice of boxing” returned to live TV after winning a “brutal” fight with cancer.The Sky Sports legend told DAZN it was “fantastic” to be back ringside for Katie Taylor’s revenge bid against Chantelle Cameron in Dublin – after being in hospital for the first fight.

    Katie Taylor, left, and Chantelle Cameron had a gruelling Dublin re-matchCredit: PA
    And armchair sports fans were overjoyed to see Scott behind a microphone after he departed from Sky after 29 years earlier this month.
    Viewers said, “When he spoke it just felt so right” and “It’s so nice to see him back”.
    And featherweight hopeful Ellie Sctoney posted: “Adam Smith is just the voice of boxing isn’t he.”
    A fourth observer wrote: “Can’t tell you how pleased this made me. Actually… I can. I was f***ing delighted to see him back!”
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    Scott himself was also enthralled to be so close to the action again.
    He said: “It’s great to be here, it’s great to be alive. It’s fantastic, I’m cancer free, back at ringside.”
    He added: “I’m here for Katie Taylor, an old friend of ours.
    “My wife’s over there. My kids will be watching at home. We’ve gone through the whole Katie Taylor story.
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    “She’s been the queen for Ireland, the gem here. The atmosphere is phenomenal.
    “I couldn’t make it to the first fight with Chantelle Cameron. I was still in hospital and I wanted to be here for the rematch.”
    Adam Scott said it was ‘great’ to be back ringside More

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    Fans hail ‘brilliant’ late replacement as Simon Thomas forced to pull out of Sky Sports Soccer Saturday at short notice

    VIEWERS hailed late replacement Caroline Barker as “terrific” and a “natural” after Simon Thomas pulled out of hosting Sky Sports Soccer Saturday due to Covid.Versatile broadcaster Barker was called “brilliant” and a future candidate for the permanent role after stepping in on a day the Premier League returned in dramatic fashion.
    Viewers reckon stand-in Caroline Barker is a natural for the Soccer Saturday roleCredit: Getty
    Simon Thomas starts his first show at Soccer Saturday taking over from Jeff Stelling, Sky SportsCredit: Sky Sports
    Thomas had only revealed on Saturday morning he would miss the long-running show after illness hit his family.
    But football fans reckon Barker, 42, presented the busy schedule as if she had been doing it for years.
    One observer wrote: “Caroline Barker smashing Soccer Saturday. Such a natural presence on screen.”
    Another suggested she “should get this gig permanently. Absolutely terrific today”.
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    Thomas has had a mixed reception from viewers this season after being asked to do the near-impossible – replace fans’ favourite Jeff Stelling.
    But viewers wished him a speedy recovery after he revealed he had to sit out this Saturday at the eleventh hour.
    He posted: “Sadly no #soccersaturday for me today – #Covid has hit the Thomas household.
    “@carolinebarker is in the hot seat today. Go well CB – you’ll be brilliant. See you next week.”
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    And viewers believe his prediction on Barker was spot-on.
    They described her as a “great stand-in presenter” and “class”.
    And one viewer wrote: “Feel like Sky may have missed a trick by not giving her the gig when Stelling left.”
    It came on the day Liverpool snatched a late draw at champions Manchester City, Arsenal went top with a late winner at Brentford and Brighton’s Lewis Dunk saw red for two yellow cards in 12 seconds. More

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    Sky Sports Soccer Saturday break major 3pm blackout rule during Nottingham Forest game with Brighton

    SKY SPORTS appeared to accidentally break the 3pm blackout rule during Soccer Saturday.Broadcasters in the UK are not allowed to televise live Premier League football between the hours of 2.45pm and 5.15pm.
    Sky Sports Soccer Saturday appeared to break the 3pm blackout rule todayCredit: SKY SPORTS
    The broadcast showed a brief live clip of Nottingham Forest vs BrightonCredit: Sky Sports
    Host Caroline Barker joked about the mistakeCredit: Sky Sports
    The 3pm blackout has been in place since the 1960’s, but that didn’t stop a small slip up happening live on Sky.
    When heading around the grounds the show cut to pundit Michael Dawson who was covering the Nottingham Forest vs Brighton game which kicked off at 3pm.
    And with the match ticking towards half-time, the broadcasters seemed to think that the referee had blown his whistle to call an end to the first half.
    As a result they cut to the City Ground expecting to show the players walking down the tunnel, but instead were shown a clip of the live football.
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    It showed Lewis Dunk slowly carrying the ball out of his penalty area as he awaited the referee’s whistle.
    The glimpse at the game was swiftly taken off air with the first half not quite over yet.
    Soccer Saturday host Caroline Barker laughed off the mistake and joked: “It’s all going on, but that’s what we love!”
    The game finished in a 3-2 victory for Brighton despite Dunk being sent off in the second half.
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    The 3pm blackout is expected to be in place for at least another five years with the Premier League not changing their rules in the latest packages.
    It’s not the first time that Sky Sports have made the same mistake this season either with the broadcaster accidentally showing a clip of Man City vs Brighton last month. More

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    Mo Salah reveals ‘great guy’ Sky Sports pundit drove him to training and drop him home every day for six months

    MO SALAH opened up on his relationship with Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards ahead of Liverpool’s game against Manchester City.The pair spent six months together while they were both on loan at Fiorentina in the 2014-15 season.
    Richards and Salah played together during their loan spells at FiorentinaCredit: Instagram
    Salah said that Richards was a “great guy” and that the pundit would drive him to training every day.
    Speaking on the two’s friendship to Sky Sports fan Q&A, Salah said: “Oh my god, [Richards is] one of the craziest guys I’ve ever met. He’s really such a nice guy.
    “My family were in London and he was alone and we would always go for coffee. I didn’t have a car, he picked me up always before training and after training to drop me home. He was my driver at the time!
    “And we had such a nice time. He pretended his Italian was better but everybody knows it was not! But he’s such a great guy and we were very close and we just stayed in touch.”
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    Both players joined Fiorentina during a tough period in their respective careers.
    Salah was struggling to establish himself at Chelsea, and was sent packing on loan to Italy by Jose Mourinho after scoring just twice in 19 games for The Blues.
    And Richards, who was beginning to see his career blighted by injury, joined La Viola after falling down the City pecking order.
    The interview was shown prior to City’s clash with Liverpool, with the camera cutting back to Richards on the Etihad touchline prior to the match.
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    Richards revealed that he thought he would only be taking Salah to training for a couple of weeks but it soon turned into the entirety of their respective loan spells.
    He told viewers: “We were in Florence, a beautiful city. He was like ‘Can you pick me up in the morning?’ and I said ‘Yeah no problem at all’ thinking his car was going to arrive two weeks later. I picked him up every day for six months!”
    Richards then went on to praise the glittering career that Salah has gone on to have since the loan spell at Fiorentina, which has seen him win the Champions League, the Premier League, two English league cups and the FA Cup. More

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    Gary Neville forced to apologise live on air for ‘unprofessionalism’ on Sky Sports before Man City vs Liverpool

    GARY NEVILLE slammed Sky Sports colleagues Jamie Carragher, Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge for their “unprofessionalism” as he issued an apology live on air.The Manchester United legend, 48, appeared alongside reporter Melissa Reddy from the Etihad ahead of Manchester City’s clash with Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime.
    Gary Neville was left baffled by the shriek of laughter that came out of shotCredit: Sky Sports News
    He apologised to the Sky Sports viewers for the noiseCredit: Sky Sports News
    Neville then told the cameraman to show his fellow pundits on the side of the pitchCredit: Sky Sports News
    The camera panned to show Jamie Carragher laughing
    But his interview was interrupted part-way through by a scream out of shot.
    Neville acknowledged the bizarre shriek, saying: “Sorry, that’s Carragher, Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge.
    “I just can’t laugh like that at any point in my life. These three seem to laugh… it’s incredible.”
    The ex-England right-back returned to answering questions from Reddy, but then brought up his old pals again moments later.
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    He said: “Just pan the camera round to these muppets over here, please.”
    The camera then swivelled to show Carragher, Richards and Sturridge preparing for Sky Sports’ live coverage of the game.
    And Neville finished the funny segment by simply adding: “Just look at them.”
    Man City play host to Liverpool knowing a win would take them four points clear at the top of the Premier League table.
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    And Pep Guardiola’s side have been buoyed by Erling Haaland making the starting XI after he picked up an injury while away on international duty.
    A victory for Liverpool would see them leapfrog Man City to move top of the table for the first time this season.
    But history is not on the Reds’ side as they have won just one Premier League game at the Etihad since October 2008. More

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    Why is Simon Thomas not on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday?

    FOOTBALL fans are devastated to find out that Simon Thomas will not be appearing on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday – and SunSport knows why.With the return of club football, fans from all across the country are set to tune in to the show which brings us every single goal as they ripple the net.
    Simon Thomas will not be on Sky Sports Soccer SaturdayCredit: Sky Sports
    And Simon Thomas is usually the man in the hot seat to keep football lovers up to date on what is going on.
    But unfortunately, the Soccer Saturday specialist has confirmed that he will not be making an appearance today.
    Why is Simon Thomas not on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday?
    Simon Thomas will not be on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday as he has contracted Covid.
    Speaking on Twitter, he said: “Sadly no #soccersaturday for me today – #Covid has hit the Thomas household.
    “@carolinebarker is in the hot seat today. Go well CB – you’ll be brilliant.
    “See you next week. 🤞”
    Who is Simon Thomas?
    Simon Thomas was born in Cromer, Norfolk, on January 26, 1973.
    He began his career in 1999 when he became the 27th presenter on the BBC’s iconic children’s show Blue Peter – which he fronted alongside Katy Hill, Konnie Huq, Matt Baker and Liz Barker.
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    After six years on the show, Simon made the move into sports broadcasting.
    Aside from his presenting career, Simon has also become a popular speaker on mental health, grief and sobriety, speaking to organisations such as Asda, Aviva, the Home Office and Linklaters.
    He also had his own podcast titled ”Life Interrupted” – a project which ran for three series and saw the presenter speak to stars about how they found a way through some of life’s toughest challenges. More

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    Sky Sports host Simon Thomas forced to cancel Soccer Saturday appearance with replacement drafted in at last minute

    SOCCER SATURDAY host Simon Thomas will not host the Sky Sports show this afternoon after contracting Covid.The presenter, 50, will be replaced by journalist and broadcaster Caroline Barker.
    Simon Thomas will not be on Soccer Saturday after contracting CovidCredit: Sky Sports
    Caroline Barker has been drafted in as a late replacement for ThomasCredit: Getty
    Speaking on Twitter, he said: “Sadly no #soccersaturday for me today – #Covid has hit the Thomas household.
    “@carolinebarker is in the hot seat today. Go well CB – you’ll be brilliant. See you next week. 🤞”
    Football fans offered their support for Thomas as they wished him a speedy recovery.
    One said: “Get well soon Sir – been a cracking start!”
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    Another added: “Hope you’re all feeling better and testing negative soon Simon 🤞⚽️.”
    While a third replied: “You can watch City, Simon, that should cheer you up 🤣🤣 get well soon.”
    Thomas took over from long-standing Soccer Saturday host Jeff Stelling after his 25-year stint as the show’s presenter concluded at the end of last season.
    He broke through as a host of Blue Peter in 1999.
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    He first began hosting Premier League coverage for Sky Sports at the start of the 2016/17 season.
    Meanwhile, his replacement, Barker, made her name as a BBC Radio reporter.
    Nowadays, she is known as the host of The Totally Football League Show on Sky Sports.
    Barker is also a netball commentator and pundit and has hosted other sporting events such as the Champions League of Darts and NFL International Series.
    The Premier League lunchtime kick-off on Saturday sees champions Manchester City take on title rivals Liverpool at the Etihad.
    That is followed by five 3pm games in the top flight, before Brentford host Arsenal in the late match.
    There is also a full compliment of Football League fixtures as the Championship returns alongside the Premier League following the international break. More