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      in Soccer

      Coventry show the way by putting faith in Mark Robins while competing in most screwball league in country

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      THEY won’t finish the season with silverware, were always big outsiders to gatecrash the play-offs and will never be one of the sexy names.But in the maddest, most screwball league in the country, Coventry City are setting the sanest, most sensible example of all.
      Mark Robins has done a terrific job at Coventry CityCredit: Getty
      When the dust settles on another Championship season, no fewer than HALF the 24 clubs will have changed their manager at some stage.
      Never mind Premier League owners being trigger happy, it’s the ones a tier below who have been firing bullets like western gunslingers.
      While the prizes for two or three — the Holy Land of untold top-flight riches — are unbelievable, it is financial misery for the rest.
      For the bulk of the bosses in charge of clubs who fall short, the price is a P45 and a reputation in tatters.
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Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}BRIGHTON 4 MAN UTD 0 .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Ralf Rangnick’s United flops confirmed as worst Red Devils EVER in PL
      And the knock-on of that means a league which was once a breeding ground for up-and-coming managers has now become a burial ground.
      It may be a finishing school for players en route to the top but for bosses it is simply the finish.
      Yet this week, amid the mayhem, came a ray of common sense when Coventry handed manager Mark Robins a new contract. It got barely a mention on a national scale, just as the Sky Blues themselves rarely trouble headline writers.
      But extending Robins’ deal for another couple of years beyond 2024 was a throwback to the days when owners realised it didn’t need a trophy to prove a job was being done well.
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      FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
      Having been in charge since 2017, he was already the longest-serving manager at that level, now Tony Mowbray is leaving Blackburn.
      And the reward for chairman Tim Fisher and chief executive Dave Boddy has been a club that has got better every year under the former striker.
      Robins took over a club heading into League Two, yet within three years he had them back in the Championship.
      And this year, despite working on a shoestring budget, he has them 12th, their highest position in 16 seasons. Indeed, they held hopes of sneaking into the play-offs going into the last month of games.
      He has transformed them from a club without a home into one on the rise — and the board have had the foresight to reward it.
      What a contrast to so many others, who want instant success and are changing the managerial nameplate as soon as it fails to materialise.
      Now, though, plenty of them are running into another problem… namely where the next generation of gaffers is coming from?
      It’s become the most common question in Championship boardrooms — which way do we turn now for our next boss?
      The fact is the well is running dry. There isn’t an endless supply. They are paying the price for knee-jerk reactions.
      It is further proof of what a madcap division the Championship really is — although one which almost encourages clubs to run up debts is always asking for trouble.
      Under FFP rules, clubs are allowed to go £13million into the red every season. It has almost become like a football speed limit.
      If you can drive at 60mph most people will go that fast, plus a touch more.
      So it is with the money. Many are scared they’ll be at a disadvantage if they stay within their means and go as far as possible the other way.
      For the ones who have dropped from the Prem, the parachute payments merely mask the issue, and for most the gamble of stretching themselves too far doesn’t pay off.
      That’s when they get twitchy — and we know what comes next. That’s why so many bosses find themselves out of work. And that’s why Coventry are such a beacon of hope.
      The only problem is with so many clubs constantly looking for a new gaffer, it’s only a matter of time before one of them comes calling for Robins.
      BIG SPUR FOR GERS
      RANGERS have an even greater incentive to win the Europa League, after Uefa’s decision to ban Russian clubs.
      Their ruling means title winners Celtic will go straight into the Champions League group stages, as Scotland’s coefficient has risen enough to make them the beneficiaries.
      Ironically Rangers’ own European exploits played a key role in that, thus opening the door to riches for the Hoops.
      Yet lifting the Europa League will guarantee their own ticket — and at least stop Celtic from getting a massive financial leg-up on their Old Firm rivals.
      Now for Giovanni van Bronckhorst, it’s just the little matter of beating Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday week.
      DRUMMER BOY DAVID
      THE misting over in David Moyes’ eyes when he lost the plot and volleyed one back at the ball boy during West Ham’s Europa League defeat proved one thing.
      You can take the boy out of Drumchapel but…
      BETTER TO BE LUCKY
      IN 2018 a  wrongly disallowed Gabriel Jesus goal against Liverpool wrecked Manchester City’s Champions League hopes.
      The following year Fernando Llorente got away with handball for the decisive goal that sent Spurs through, after Raheem Sterling was inches offside when scoring at the other end.
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      And against Real Madrid, City led for 178 minutes over the two legs of their semi-final and once more had their hearts broken.
      It is indeed better to be lucky than good. More

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      in Soccer

      Harry Redknapp: Guardiola’s head must be all over the place… but now he has to pick whole Man City squad off the floor

      by

      THEY say the greatest champions are the ones who get off the canvas — and Pep Guardiola certainly took one hell of a punch this week.It means that Sunday’s game against Newcastle, which looks an absolute home banker, has suddenly become arguably the toughest test of his managerial life.
      Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will have to pick his team up for NewcastleCredit: Rex
      Never mind Manchester City chasing a fourth title in five years, nor the fact they are one of the top two teams in the world.
      None of that matters after the way they went out of the Champions League — and Guardiola has a heck of a job to raise the whole club.
      I do mean the whole club as well. Not just the players but his staff, the tea ladies, the kitman, everyone.
      He’s got to lift himself, too, and as boss there’s no one to help on that one.
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      Forget what Liverpool do, the big problem facing Pep and City is how losing to Real Madrid impacts them for the next four games.
      When you go out the way they did, it takes a lot to recover.
      But Pep has to get them back on track straight away, or the league could slip away as well now.
      That journey back from Spain will have been horrible.
      .css-qu9fel{border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-b9nmbi{margin-bottom:16px;border-top:1px solid #dcdddd;}.css-1qsre5o{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;}.css-q8gelu{margin-bottom:24px;}.css-7ysxcx{padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-7ysxcx:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:justify;-webkit-justify-content:space-between;justify-content:space-between;padding:0;text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-jkwlot:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1x7hydu{font-family:The Sun;font-size:24px;line-height:1.1666666666666667;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:semi-condensed;padding:1px 0px;}.css-1x7hydu::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.24520833333333342em + -0.5px);}.css-1x7hydu::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:-0.2333333333333334em;}.css-1lobn43{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(0,0,0,1);}.css-1lobn43 svg{fill:rgba(0,0,0,1);}Most read in Football.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-zdjvqv{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:100%;-webkit-align-items:flex-start;-webkit-box-align:flex-start;-ms-flex-align:flex-start;align-items:flex-start;-webkit-align-content:flex-start;-ms-flex-line-pack:flex-start;align-content:flex-start;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;-webkit-box-pack:space-around;-ms-flex-pack:space-around;-webkit-justify-content:space-around;justify-content:space-around;margin-top:calc(-12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(-12px/2);}.css-zdjvqv:before,.css-zdjvqv:after{content:”;display:block;}.css-1meuhfk{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-top:calc(12px/2);margin-bottom:calc(12px/2);}
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      His head must have been all over the place.
      You’re thinking, ‘What could I have done differently, what did I do wrong?’
      The ironic thing is, for 90 minutes, City played pretty much the perfect game.
      To stop Real from having a single shot on target at home is unbelievable.
      Harry Redknapp insists Pep Guardiola is facing a tough task ahead of himCredit: PA
      If Thibaut Courtois’ studs had been half an inch shorter, Jack Grealish would have scored a second — and City would be looking forward to a final against Liverpool.
      That’s how fine the margins are. Never mind Carlo Ancelotti saying he always thought Real could get back into it.
      If you’re two down going into injury time, you know you’re done. Just like Pep, for all that his face certainly dropped when they held up the board showing six more minutes, will have believed City were through.
      When it goes belly up from there, it’s the worst feeling ever, just beyond belief — and he’s going to have to earn his corn to recover from that.
      You’ve gone from jabbing your opponent on the nose to being down for a count of eight and feeling as groggy as hell when you get back up.
      I KNOW THE FEELING
      I know that feeling, believe me I do. It wasn’t a Champions League semi-final but the awful, sickening, churning in your stomach is the same.
      When I was Southampton manager and we were at the bottom of the table, we were two up against Middlesbrough with a couple of minutes left.
      I was going to make a sub but decided to wait a second as they had a corner.
      Our centre-back headed it into our net, they got another from the kick-off and we drew 2-2. It was the same when we played Everton.
      In front after 90 minutes, when Peter Crouch crossed instead of keeping it in the corner, they went upfield and scored with the last kick.
      The time it took us to recover from those two results cost us dearly, because we ended up getting relegated.
      Manchester City suffered a heartbreaking Champions League eliminationCredit: PA
      Games like that never totally leave you.
      I saw Andrea Pirlo in Turin this week and he told me even now he still doesn’t know how AC Milan lost that 2005 final to Liverpool after being 3-0 up at half-time.
      It was 17 years ago but still eats away at him and Pep has had just over three days to lift his players before they play Newcastle.
      City have had the wind sucked right out of them and somehow Guardiola has to get it back, while feeling absolutely gutted himself.
      The one thing I will say is, that if anyone can do it, he’s the man. People on phone-ins saying he should go because City lost are idiots.

      I heard someone saying they need to get a manager who can win the competition, they were forgetting Pep’s done that before — and that is just laughable.
      Of course it was a dreadful way to lose but do they honestly think there’s anyone better than Pep?
      No one I can see, that’s for sure. Right now Guardiola will be low, low, low — I can’t imagine he’s ever felt worse in his career.
      If anyone can still get those players up off the floor, it’s Pep. But, right now, not even he could tell you for sure that he will manage it. More

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      in Soccer

      Karren Brady: Every refereeing decision went with home team as West Ham were robbed of Europa League glory in Frankfurt

      by

      IN THE fug of early fireworks at Eintracht Frankfurt, West Ham’s ambitions of making it to the Europa League final were snuffed out by VAR.We proud Hammers people travelled to Germany bubbling with expectation.
      Aaron Cresswell was red carded in FrankfurtCredit: PA
      David Moyes was also given his marching ordersCredit: Reuters
      But that was dented by the 19th-minute dismissal of Aaron Cresswell after the referee was persuaded by TV slow-mo that he should overturn his yellow card for a red.
      We then had a real mountain to climb, not helped by a referee who was persuaded to give every decision to the home team.
      Within a few minutes, Frankfurt were ahead and for all the heroic effort of our ten men, who fought to the end, they couldn’t get the result they set out for.
      It was much less than manager David Moyes, the players and our supporters deserved.
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      David’s reappointment has been a triumph.
      His determined, resourceful leadership has given two of the club’s best years.
      And the players responded with marvellous victories against Sevilla and Lyon in our run that ended in Thursday’s frustration.
      Declan Rice summed it after the game when he said the players were “gutted”.
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      As he said, we have come so far as a group and they have given everything this year in what has been a punishing schedule of games.
      The good news is that we know what we are capable of, the players want more European nights and we believe we have a real chance to be a power in the land.
      OLD GOLD
      Golden oldies like Cristiano Ronaldo are showing age is just a number with stunning performancesCredit: EPA
      THREE times now Manchester United have appointed what some might call veteran players to address shortcomings in front of goal.
      Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo have been signed chiefly — and expensively — to put the final touch to the play of lads who were just out of baby clothes when this trio hit 30-plus years.
      Clubs are paying heavy cheques to the old fellas who have hung on to their speed of thought and reaction if not necessarily their fastest speed.
      Does anyone in the Premier League jump higher than Ronaldo, 37, run further than 36-year-old Luka Modric in LaLiga, or convey more threat than Ibrahimovic, 40, in Serie A?
      And there are plenty in the queue to beat the threat of wearier legs and slower reactions, continuing their quests for six-figures a week in pay, as well as more wins and honours.
      Forwards and midfielders hit the age barrier earlier, defenders chug along for quite a while, goalkeepers go crazy and give up when they feel like it.
      These days, the limitations of age have slowed thanks to superior training methods, better diet, improved medical treatment and sensible lifestyle. The peak years have extended and retirement age at top level is usually about 34-35.
      I am sure Mark Noble, our West Ham captain who celebrates his 35th birthday on Sunday, felt that and is retiring as a one-club man, even though he remains a fine footballer.
      On the other hand, Modric and others, including the remarkable 36-year-old James Milner, will continue to enjoy combat.
      Milner has been offered a one-year contract at Liverpool, who are possibly the world’s leading club side at the moment.
      His manager Jurgen Klopp, likening him to Modric, says: “He’s set standards (of fitness) in a way not a lot of people can set standards and it educated all of us.”
      Whether it’s loss of earnings or love of the game, probably both, Ibrahimovic is the current retirement waiting to happen.
      He’s tried it once, briefly, and came back, as big, belligerent and boastful as ever.
      .css-16e4f55{margin:16px 0;}.css-1546w7m{background-color:rgba(237,245,242,1);margin:16px 0;}.css-1tapza8{padding:20px 15px;}.css-1bk4jdt{padding:20px 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Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}MEGGING A MOVE .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Meghan & Harry respond minutes after Queen bans them from balcony at Jubilee
      In his second stint at AC Milan, however, the Swede isn’t scoring as many as he used to — not surprising for a man with over 500 goals in more than 900 games.
      Even for Superman, there comes a time.
      Mark Noble will retire at the end of the seasonCredit: Rex More

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      in Soccer

      Troy Deeney: Nottingham Forest have been best team in Championship under Steve Cooper… but I think Sheff Utd will go up

      by

      NOTTINGHAM FOREST have been the best team in the Championship since Steve Cooper took over — but I fancy Sheffield United to get promoted in the play-offs.The stats show that had the season started on September 21 — the day the Welshman got the City Ground job — Forest would this morning be sitting pretty at the top of the table on 75 points, with Fulham on 74 and Bournemouth third on 67 points.
      Steve Cooper has turned Nottingham Forest into the Championship’s best side… but Sheffield Utd will win playoffsCredit: Rex
      They are the best coached team and I would go as far as saying Cooper has been the best manager in the entire EFL, such is the impact he has had on a team that was bottom when he took over.
      Forest now have a clear identity and you can see what they’re trying to do.
      When you look at the four clubs currently occupying the play-off positions, Luton have been the biggest surprise of all, so fair play to them.
      While the other three are all big clubs. Huddersfield have been in and out of the Premier League over the past few seasons.

      Then you have Forest and Sheffield United, who both had stinking starts to the season.
      But Paul Heckingbottom has done a fantastic job at Bramall Lane.
      I remember watching them in the FA Cup against Chelsea towards the end of last season when Heckingbottom was in caretaker charge.
      They looked like a good outfit who created a lot of chances and you could see what he was trying to do.
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      FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
      I just have this feeling Sheffield United are going up.
      If you were to ask me which team you’d not want to play, I’d say Nottingham Forest because they’re so well drilled and coached.
      But I just think the Blades have the know-how — and when you throw their talisman Billy Sharp into the mix, you absolutely cannot write them off.
      He may be missing with injury today but can still play a vital role in the play-offs.
      And also you have to take into consideration the fact that Forest have to overcome the disappointment of not quite managing to get over the line to grab that  second automatic promotion spot, after their 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Tuesday night.
      Over these past few months, they have been quietly going about their business with no real pressure on their shoulders.
      Whereas now, they go into the play-offs as the clear favourites, with a reputation and expectations on their shoulders.
      Nottingham Forest remind me a little of Manchester United in terms of a club that have not been the same since losing a legendary long-term manager.
      FOREST STILL DREAMING
      There are still people at Forest who can reference the glory days of Brian Clough, just like Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.
      Luton — if they keep their play-off position — will have a free hit.
      Sometimes it works for managers at certain clubs and that is what has happened with Nathan Jones, who won them promotion from League Two.
      Although he left for Stoke, it was his team that got promoted from League One.
      He then returned to save them from relegation and now has them competing for a place in the Premier League.
      And he has achieved that on a modest budget — getting his players performing to the best of their abilities, producing eight-out-of-ten performances consistently all season.
      It’s crazy when you think my club, Birmingham, have turned them over 5-0 and 3-0 this season. 
      Carlos Corberan has done a good job with Huddersfield but I don’t think they’re as strong as Forest and Sheffield United.
      But Paul Heckingbottom has done a fantastic job at Bramall Lane and Troy thinks Sheffield United will go upCredit: PA
      ALL TO PLAY FOR
      Middlesbrough and Millwall are two other clubs we must keep an eye out for on Saturday as both could possibly gatecrash the play-off spots if they win and other results go their way.
      I like Boro, their manager Chris Wilder and what they’re all about. I know quite a few of the lads there, too.
      But they probably need another transfer window, so even if they do get into the play-offs, I don’t think they would be ready.
      Their ex-manager Neil Warnock had brought in his people but they’re not going to be in the position to help Wilder and the way his teams play.
      He’ll need to get  rid of five or six in the summer and bring in three or four of  his own.
      Millwall, meanwhile, have been defying the odds under manager Gary Rowett and  his assistant Paul  Robinson, who I know really well.
      Rowett is someone who really is squeezing every last bit of juice out of the orange at The Den.
      There are not many in the side who would walk into a top-six Championship club but they are getting eight-out-of-ten performances by having a structure, having an organisation.
      In the game, there are so  many managers who change  players to fit their style rather than ones who change their style to the players they have available to them.
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Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}MEGGING A MOVE .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Meghan & Harry respond minutes after Queen bans them from balcony at Jubilee
      They are also getting the best out of Benik Afobe because they’re playing to his strengths, like they also do with Oliver Burke and Tom Bradshaw.
      Playing at Millwall is a hard task at the best of times but  when they get that place jumping like they’re currently doing, no  one will want to go there in  the play-offs. More

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      in Soccer

      Real Madrid’s sensational win over Man City could be the night that put Liverpool on course for quadruple

      by

      IT felt like the night we may look back upon as the most significant step in Liverpool’s quest for the Quadruple — without Jurgen Klopp’s men even having played.When Manchester City imploded on a frenzied night at the Bernabeu, you can bet that Klopp would have been chuckling into his beer.
      Liverpool reached their third Champions League final under KloppCredit: REX FEATURES
      It took a gutsy display away at Villarreal to book their place in ParisCredit: REX FEATURES
      Man City, on the other hand, fell at the final hurdle to RealCredit: REX FEATURES
      For while Real Madrid were magnificent in their belief and desire, the Reds boss will be convinced his side can swarm all over Carlo Ancelotti’s ageing side in the final in Paris, three weeks tomorrow.
      And if City slip up in their four remaining Premier League matches, Wednesday night’s almighty choke will be regarded as the trigger for them surrendering a one-point lead at the summit.
      City were the polar opposite of Klopp’s ‘mentality monsters’ in the Bernabeu.
      While Real and Liverpool, with their mighty European histories, expect to win these ties, City frequently freeze.
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Sun;font-size:24px;line-height:1.1666666666666667;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:semi-condensed;padding:1px 0px;}.css-1x7hydu::before{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-bottom:calc(-0.24520833333333342em + -0.5px);}.css-1x7hydu::after{content:”;display:block;height:0;width:0;margin-top:-0.2333333333333334em;}.css-1lobn43{display:inline;font:inherit;margin:0;color:rgba(0,0,0,1);}.css-1lobn43 svg{fill:rgba(0,0,0,1);}READ MORE ON 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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-n392go{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-1p5s3t0{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-i1acvs{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,99,73,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}NO ROMAN RUIN .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Chelsea slam ‘entirely false’ claims Abramovich wants £1.6bn loan repaid
      When Karim Benzema netted the winning penalty, there were still 25 minutes remaining but City looked physically and mentally spent and barely threatened. 
      None of Pep Guardiola’s squad  have won the greatest prize in club football — other than back-up keeper Scott Carson with Liverpool — and the manager has now failed to do so in 11 years.
      “Football’s unpredictable sometimes,” said Guardiola, after his team’s late collapse.
      But it’s not always unpredictable. City did not buy the world-class goalscorer they needed last summer.
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      FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
      And while that has not affected them in the vast majority of games, it certainly did in the first leg against Real at the Etihad, when City dominated but managed only to gain a one-goal lead.
      It also affected them in the 2-2 home draw against their only title rivals, when poor  finishing allowed Klopp’s men off the hook last month.
      Guardiola scoffs at all this, gets bored and tetchy at the repetitive nature of the  questioning — but it is only repetitive because it’s true.
      For a second straight season, City do not have anyone in the top eight of the Premier League scoring charts.
      Erling Haaland may change all that next term but the  Norwegian goal machine is increasingly injury-prone.
      Before that, Guardiola must revive his side for a title run-in which looks a whole lot trickier when the psychological trauma of tossing away a two-goal aggregate lead in the dying minutes in the Bernabeu, is added to City’s burdens.
      An in-form Newcastle arrive at the Etihad for Sunday’s  Arabian derby — a fixture which certainly won’t be sponsored by Amnesty International but which will test City’s bouncebackability.
      Real sunk City late on to reach the final against LiverpoolCredit: REX FEATURES
      Then back-to-back away matches at European-chasing Wolves and West Ham, before a final-day home match with Aston Villa, where Steven Gerrard could finally win the Premier League for Liverpool.
      One possible twist is the idea of Harry Kane — the man City couldn’t sign last summer — denting Liverpool at Anfield tomorrow night, in the toughest of the Reds’ four league fixtures.
      Spurs did the double over City — while just West Ham, Leicester and Crystal Palace have managed to inflict even a single defeat on the Premier League’s dominant duo this season.
      But if Liverpool, who comprehensively survived their own Champions League semi-final scare at Villarreal on Tuesday, can beat Antonio Conte’s men at Fortress Anfield, it is difficult to imagine them dropping another point against Villa, Southampton or Wolves.
      They must also face Chelsea in the FA Cup final a week tomorrow before they head to Paris in the springtime and the prospect of immortality. And a clean sweep is on now, for sure.
      Real’s 13 European titles and their comebacks to defeat Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and City, will give them supreme self-confidence.
      Yet those victories were all secured at the Bernabeu, where the home crowd possess a divine right to rule, which feels like an all-powerful mania.
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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-n392go{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-1p5s3t0{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-i1acvs{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,99,73,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}CHELLE’S PAIN .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Michelle Heaton in tears on Loose Women over rehab letter from husband
      Paris will be rammed with Scousers, who, since Klopp took over, have extreme levels of belief too now.
      And if they complete the Quad, Liverpool’s players may look back fondly on the night they watched from their sofas as City chucked it away in Spain. More

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      in Boxing

      Amir Khan’s decision to carry on boxing is as dangerous as him putting a loaded gun to his head with safety-catch off

      by

      AFTER being robbed at ­gunpoint of his diamond-encrusted £72,000 watch last month, Amir Khan understandably says he’s scared of being in London.The two-time world champ was in a Leyton street in east London with his wife when he was confronted by the gun-toting mugger.
      Khan has declared that he will keep on fightingCredit: GETTY
      Khan lost to rival Brook three months agoCredit: GETTY
      Yet Khan, by deciding to continue his boxing career, doesn’t seem to understand it will be like putting a loaded pistol to his temple with the safety-catch off.
      The thought of Amir stepping back into the ring should chill the blood.
      Less than three months ago, when Kell Brook battered him to defeat, we saw a former formidable world champion in sad decline.
      It was obvious within seconds of the opening bell, when a left jab turned his legs to jelly, that Khan has little punch resistance left.
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BOXING.css-1gojmfd{margin-bottom:16px;}.css-gmec1d{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;height:auto;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-align-content:center;-ms-flex-line-pack:center;align-content:center;-webkit-box-flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-wrap:nowrap;-ms-flex-wrap:nowrap;flex-wrap:nowrap;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:flex-start;justify-content:flex-start;margin-left:calc(-20px/2);margin-right:calc(-20px/2);}.css-fh9577{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;margin-left:calc(20px/2);margin-right:calc(20px/2);}.css-65fvqt{max-width:302px;max-height:294px;}.css-h98a3b{box-sizing:border-box;overflow:hidden;background-color:rgba(236,245,247,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;position:relative;display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:column;-ms-flex-direction:column;flex-direction:column;max-width:302px;max-height:294px;}.css-bk55po{box-sizing:border-box;display:block;position:relative;margin-bottom:0;}.css-1shocxe{box-sizing:border-box;}.css-1a2irou{box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;}.css-1a2irou 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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-xpuujo{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(149,199,208,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-tqcu81{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(149,199,208,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-bq4915{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,97,108,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-bq4915:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}ACTION MEN .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}CCTV footage shows restaurant staff run to help Khan as boxer robbed at gunpoint
      And his foot and hand speed and reflexes have eroded to dangerously low levels.
      Khan wisely announced his retirement after taking a bad beating. 
      But inexplicably, and stupidly, he changed his mind and declared he intends to continue fighting.
      It has been suggested he would be an ideal opponent for unbeaten welterweight Conor Benn — that would be like making him dive into a pool inhabited by a starving crocodile. 
      Why family man Amir, 35, a multi-millionaire, would contemplate prolonging such a hazardous occupation is beyond understanding.
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      The only conclusion I can come to is defeat by bitter rival Brook has badly dented his pride.
      And he feels the only way to restore his self-esteem as a fighter is to have one more contest and go out a winner. That kind of logic is bordering on lunacy.
      Ex-world champions Carl Froch and Carl Frampton are dead against Amir carrying on.
      Frampton said: “I think his family and those closest to him need to sit him down and tell him to wise up.  
      “To repeat an old Joe Bugner line ‘What’s the point of ­having money if you can’t count it’.”
      Froch was just as forthright when he said: “He’s only good for getting knocked out — he needs to retire.”
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Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-bq4915:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}CHELLE’S PAIN .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Michelle Heaton in tears on Loose Women over rehab letter from husband
      There’s never been a finer ambassador for British boxing than Khan — from the moment he won his Olympic silver medal in Athens 18 years ago aged 17.
      Every promoter in the country should impose a Khan boycott to save him from himself. More

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      England fans are snubbing Qatar World Cup, and who can blame them with extortionate flights and pricey food and drink

      by

      ENGLAND fans will not be flocking to the World Cup in Qatar —  you can hardly blame them.Extortionate flights, accommodation worries, plus the price of food and drink has put off many.
      Thousands of regular England fans have not even applied for tickets for the World Cup in Qatar this winterCredit: Getty
      Nasser Al-Khater, a member of Qatar’s World Cup organising body, shows off the Khalifa International Stadium in DohaCredit: AFP
      England have been given 2,489 seats for their opening game against Iran at the Khalifa Stadium on November 21.
      All of the England Supporters Travel Club members who applied were successful.
      When you consider there are about 15,000 members, it illustrates many are staying at home.
      Iran are set to have over 30,000  at the match.
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.nk-headline-heading{color:rgba(71,30,121,1);}.css-1uyse24:before{content:”;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;overflow:hidden;position:absolute;z-index:1;}.css-n392go{border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-1p5s3t0{padding:0;border-width:0 1px 1px 1px;border-style:solid;border-color:rgba(155,201,183,1);padding:12px;max-height:104px;min-height:98px;}.css-124tga5{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-5jzxpx{overflow:hidden;-webkit-line-clamp:3;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;display:-webkit-box;word-wrap:break-word;line-height:1;}.css-i1acvs{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,99,73,1);text-transform:uppercase;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-i1acvs:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}RAISE THE BAR .css-8h3gc3{margin:0;padding:0;color:rgba(34,37,38,1);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;font-family:The Sun;font-size:18px;line-height:1.333;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0%;font-stretch:normal;display:inline;}.css-8h3gc3:hover:not(:disabled){-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Footie fans will pay a whopping £9.98 a PINT at the World Cup in Qatar
      With England, it is the same story for the game against the USA in the 60,000-capacity Al Bayt Stadium on November 25.
      England have been given 4,158 tickets and all who applied have been successful.
      The only match oversubscribed is  the potential Battle of Britain against Wales, Scotland or Ukraine at the Ahmad bin Ali  on November 29.
      England’s allocation is 2,339. Just 613  have been unsuccessful but they are likely to get tickets via the Fifa website to see Gareth Southgate and Co in action.
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      More are likely to travel as the team progress  but numbers will still be small.
      Fifa say there are many options for accommodation — and the fan parks will only charge £5 for a beer, which is true.
      But not all want to stand in a fan park — and the cost of a beer in a hotel is around £10 and a burger £20.
      At least we know that England’s fans in Qatar will not cause any trouble, because those who follow the team to far-flung places are terrific.
      The problem supporters are the ones who stay closer to home. As this column revealed, there are security fears for the Nations League clash against Germany in Munich on June 7.
      EF-HELL OR HEAVEN?
      ATTENDANCES in the EFL have returned  to pre-Covid levels, which is a massive relief for clubs.
      The final data will not be processed until the entire season has been completed.
      But early signs are that after an initial dip at the start of the campaign when some fans were nervous about returning to games, everything has returned to normal.
      Equally, club chairmen are fascinated over how the gates will fair during the World Cup.
      The Championship will pause for almost a month but League One and League Two matches will continue unless — however unlikely — a team has three players starring in Qatar.
      So, maybe fans will flock to the lower leagues to get their fix of football — or maybe it will work the other way and supporters will just stay at home glued to the World Cup games.
      GUNNER BE AWKWARD…
      EVERTON could be relegated by Arsenal on the final day of the Premier League season.
      And Everton’s scheduled opponents in the first game of their pre-season tour of the United States in Baltimore on July 16 are . . . Arsenal. More

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      in Soccer

      Brian Clough is a tough act to follow at Nottingham Forest but Cooper has them on brink of Premier League promised land

      by

      THERE have been 22 permanent managers of Nottingham Forest since Brian Clough — and few of them have less in common with Old Big ’Ead than Steve Cooper.No bombast, no ego, no witty one-liners, no stellar playing career and certainly no just popping into the training ground on a Friday after leaving the coaching to his backroom staff all week.
      Cooper could guide Forest to the Prem via an automatic spot or the play-offsCredit: REX FEATURES
      Clough won back-to-back European CupsCredit: REX FEATURES
      But should Forest win at Bournemouth in the biggest match of the Championship season, then follow it up with another victory at Hull on Saturday, their 23-year absence from the Premier League will be over — barring an unlikely goal swing in favour of the Cherries if they also win their final game.
      And special agent Cooper will be able to stroll along the River Trent in the manner of his greatest Forest predecessor.
      Incredibly, Forest were bottom when Cooper took over in late September but a thunderous late run of nine wins in ten matches leaves them just two games away from what would be an extraordinary top-flight return.
      “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” as Clough once said, “but I wasn’t on that particular job.”
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      Neither was the transformative Cooper.
      Many of Clough’s successors have shied away from his legacy of back-to-back European Cups but Cooper was adamant that history should be embraced, that Forest needed a ‘big club mentality’.
      Memories of long-gone glory days at a rocking City Ground were revived in Forest’s FA Cup victories over Arsenal and holders Leicester, along with a near-miss against Liverpool this season. Their league form has been more impressive still.
      And while the end of Leeds United’s 16-year wait for Premier League football attracted far greater publicity, a return for Forest would be even more significant.
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      No former European champions have ever been devoid of top-flight football for remotely as long as they have.
      They last slipped out of the top flight in a disastrous 1998-99 campaign, with several leading players sold, star striker Pierre van Hooijdonk on strike and an 8-1 home defeat by Manchester United under Ron Atkinson summing up the entire shambles.
      The Premier League hierarchy, while never expressing any public preference, would like one of England’s grandest clubs to win their automatic promotion duel against Bournemouth — with their tiny ground and Russian-born owner.
      And while ‘dirty Leeds’ were the club everyone loved to hate, Clough’s Forest were many people’s favourite second team. Their return would be cherished by footballing nostalgics.
      Cooper is similar to Clough in their old-school respect for refsCredit: REX FEATURES
      A return to the top flight for Forest will be more significant than Leeds’ return after a 16-year absenceCredit: REX FEATURES
      If Cooper has one similarity with Clough, it is an old-school respect for referees — not least because the Welshman is the son of former Premier League ref, Keith.
      Cooper, 42, is an outstanding coach of young players — having managed England’s Under-17s, including Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi, to glory in the 2017 World Cup.
      At Forest, this season’s stand-out players have been 20-year-old Welsh winger Brennan Johnson — the Championship’s Young Player of the Season — and wing-back Djed Spence, 21, a cute loan signing  from Middlesbrough.
      While Cooper preaches possession football, the stats from Saturday’s victory over his former club Swansea were remarkable. Forest had just 30 per cent of the ball but mustered 27 shots in a 5-1 victory.
      That is possession with purpose, not necessarily a hallmark of Scott Parker’s ball-hogging Bournemouth.
      It also suggests a tactical flexibility which will be mandatory if Forest are promoted.
      England boss Gareth Southgate rates Cooper extremely highly as an innovative tactician and man-manager, employing him as an opposition scout during the 2018 World Cup.
      But there are plenty of bookish career coaches who excel in youth football and never step up to succeed in the professional game.
      Cooper is highly rated by Three Lions boss SouthgateCredit: REX FEATURES
      Cooper is an innovative tacticianCredit: GETTY
      Cooper has the necessary mettle and does not suffer fools.
      If securing automatic promotion from such a distant start would represent a footballing miracle, Cooper was complicit in another, at Forest’s expense, just two years ago.
      Then, on the final day of the season, his Swansea side needed to win at Reading and hope Forest lost at home to Stoke, with an unlikely goal-difference swing of five required, to pip them for the final play-off spot.
      The Swans won 4-1, Forest conceded three late goals to lose 4-1, slipping out of the promotion race in the final minutes of the season, after 207 consecutive days inside the top six.
      No day has better summed up the frustrations of Forest’s vast stretch in the wilderness than that.
      Should Cooper now lead Forest back to the land of milk and money, there will be no public bragging.
      But he might just have taken heed of another famous Clough quote.
      “I knew I was the best,” the great man once said, “but I should have said nowt and kept the pressure off cos they’d have all worked it out for themselves.”
      No pick axe
      Pickford has never let England downCredit: REX FEATURES
      AT some point in the next six months there will be a heated debate as to whether Everton keeper Jordan Pickford should be England’s No 1 at the World Cup — there always is.
      But when it comes around, just watch back his heroics in the 59th and 60th minutes of Everton’s victory over Chelsea on Sunday.
      Pickford, who has never let England down, will not be moved.
      More yawns
      City are locked in ANOTHER title race with LiverpoolCredit: REX FEATURES
      SO is this season’s title race absorbing and compelling, as those of us in the media keep insisting, or is it dull and predictable, as plenty of real people claim?
      When Manchester City and Liverpool are so far superior to everyone else in the league, and never seem to drop points unless they are playing each other, does their two-horse race lack true drama?
      And is the Premier League in danger of turning into a glorified version of the Scottish Premiership, where Celtic and Rangers have lost a combined total of six league games this season, while Liverpool and City together have suffered five defeats?
      We’ll need a few more seasons of this duopoly before that could be true but some of those yawning might have a point.
      Wreck it Ralf
      Man Utd needed Rangnick’s brutal honestyCredit: GETTY
      RALF RANGNICK may be the least successful Manchester United manager of the Premier League era in terms of results but he has done a mighty fine job of  acting like a truth drug to a club with delusions of competence.
      Barely a single press conference of Rangnick’s goes by without the interim boss delivering brilliantly accurate take-downs of the club, its hierarchy or individual under-performing players.
      Rangnick is off to manage the Austrian national team but he will leave behind an important legacy.
      He was the bloke who dared to give it to United straight.

      BT SPORT’S anchorman Jake Humphrey — who is nailed-on as TV’s next Richard Madeley — says it’s difficult to ‘have a pop’ at Newcastle’s Saudi ownership when Eddie Howe has lifted his team to mid-table.
      We must have missed the clause in the UN universal declaration of human rights which claims that genocide and the dismemberment of dissident journalists is fine once your points-per-game ratio sneaks above 1.5.
      Humphrey says it’s difficult to ‘have a pop’ at Newcastle’s Saudi ownership when Eddie Howe has lifted his team to mid-tableCredit: REX FEATURES
      FANS of Walsall are none too happy at a sponsorship deal renaming their ground as the Poundland Bescot Stadium.
      But rugby league followers will know that there is worse.
      Castleford Tigers’ home is known as The Mend-A-Hose Jungle.
      Walsall’s stadium will be renamed the Poundland Bescot StadiumCredit: GETTY
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      JUST because Ian Botham and Andrew Flintoff failed as England captain, it does not mean fellow all-rounder Ben Stokes will also flop.
      Watching the World Cup final and the Headingley Test of 2019, I didn’t get the impression Stokes was a man who found responsibility too weighty.
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