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      in Soccer

      How Luton Town and Coventry City have an embarrassing thing in common as they face off in £200m Prem battle

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      THE biggest-money game in football isn’t the Champions League final for the top clubs in Europe – it is the one to get in to the Premier League.And on Saturday afternoon two teams who couldn’t be further removed from the glamour of Manchester City or Italy’s Inter Milan will battle to triumph in a match estimated to be worth more than £200million to the winner.
      Coventry City keep getting evicted from their troubled stadium
      If they win Premiership status, Luton Town will have to knock down one side of their dilapidated 118-year-old ground to meet top flight standardsCredit: Reuters
      Away fans have to enter Luton Town’s ground through Victorian terraced houses – with residents saying their homes shake when goals are scoredCredit: Damien McFadden
      Luton Town, who will have to knock down one side of their dilapidated 118-year-old ground to meet top flight standards, will face Coventry City, who keep getting evicted from their troubled stadium.
      If Luton win, they will be the first side to go from the non-league up to the Premier League. On the other hand, Coventry were just 15 minutes away from going out of business a decade ago because they didn’t have anywhere to play.
      As former Manchester United striker Mark Robins, 53, who manages Coventry, says: “It’s one for the romantics.”
      Premier League fans have been shocked by the prospect of watching the beautiful game at Luton’s Kenilworth Road. The turnstile to the cramped away end goes through Victorian terraced houses.
      READ MORE ON PREMIERSHIP PLAY-OFF
      Multi-millionaire stars such as Man City’s Erling Haaland will make their way to the tiny dressing rooms via a potholed car park and a door under a concrete bridge.
      This week the club’s chief executive, Gary Sweet, joked about the way in under people’s homes, saying: “Haaland isn’t going to walk through that entrance, he’ll go through the other s*** entrance we’ve got.”
      Coventry City’s star striker Viktor Gyokeres will be hoping to fire his side to the Premier LeagueCredit: PA
      Luton Town striker Carlton Morris’s goals helped the Hatters to third place in the Championship and a Playoff finalCredit: Getty
      Away fans hoping their section of the ground is going to be redeveloped will be disappointed.
      The club plans to knock down the neighbouring Bobbers Stand, containing executive boxes, and put up a temporary one in 14 weeks at a cost of £10million to fit in cameras and pundits.
      Most read in Football
      The headache faced by Coventry isn’t much better.
      Their stadium is owned by retail magnate Mike Ashley, 58, much hated by Newcastle United fans when he owned their club.
      Ashley, who isn’t part of Coventry’s football set-up, bought the Coventry Building Society Arena in November last year. He is now leasing it to the football club for five years.
      Whatever happens with the stadiums, fans of both sides will just be excited by the prospect of a return to the big time for two teams that were at their peak in the 1980s.
      Coventry pulled off one of the greatest FA Cup final shocks in 1987, beating Tottenham 3-2.
      A year later Luton defeated Arsenal by the same score­line in the League Cup final.
      The past two decades have been a struggle for survival for both clubs.
      Twenty years ago, Luton was taken over by chairman John Gurney, whose pie-in-the-sky plans included build­ing a Formula One racetrack around a 70,000-capacity stadium over the M1 motorway.
      He held a Pop Idol-type vote for a new manager, charging fans 50p to take part, and talked about merging with rivals Wimbledon.
      Coventry City manager Mark Robbins used to play for Man UtdCredit: Rex
      Luton Town manager Rob Edwards will be hoping to do the unthinkable by taking the Hatters up to the top flightCredit: Damien McFadden
      Even though the fans wrestled back control of the club from Gurney, their problems were far from over. In 2006 their then-manager Mike Newell promised to tackle a “bung scandal” in the game, which led to an investigation of the club’s dealings with players’ agents.
      Two years later, they were deducted ten points “for paying agents via a third party”, then docked a further 20 points for being in administration, when they had no money but those put in charge believed they had a chance of saving the business.
      They started the 2008-2009 season in the fourth tier with minus 30 points — then the worst penalty ever handed down by the Football Association. Their then-manager Mick Harford was unable to pre­vent relegation to non-league status.
      But former England striker Harford, 64, who played in Luton’s League Cup final, saw it as the moment the Bedfordshire club was reborn, because it was in the hands of devoted fans. He told The Sun: “I said to the players, this is the time the new Luton Town starts.”
      The club had so little money that the players trained on a public field where locals complained when balls hit their dogs.
      Midfielder Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, 29, who has been with Luton since their non-league days, recall­ed: “We were on a dogs’ field with a few Portakabins.”
      He was part of the team that won promo­tion back into the football league in 2014 and will be the first player to climb up all the divisions with one club if Luton win today.
      Locals know how much Premier League action will mean to the team and the town.
      Coventry City were FA Cup winners in 1987Credit: Getty
      Luton Town won the League Cup in 1988Credit: Getty
      The stadium’s wooden boards that make up some of the stands rock when the fans roar.
       Musamoth Lucky, who lives in a housing asso­ciation property over the ground’s entrance, felt the walls shake when the team won the home clash that put them in the play-off final. She said with a smile: “My living room was vibrating.”
      The town council owns Luton’s Kenilworth Stadium and is considering plans for a new 20,000-capacity ground which would be owned by the club.
      All the shareholders are local businessmen and Luton Supporters’ Trust has a one per cent share.
      Kevin Harper, from the trust, says: “It will be sad to leave, but if we are to have any chance of competing in the Premier League we need a bigger stadium.”
      Coventry City appear to be a cautionary tale for any club thinking of a stadium upgrade.
      In 2001 there were plans for a 90,000-capacity ground with a retractable roof, but that was soon scaled back.
      In the top flight for 34 years until May 2001, rising debts from the new ground forced Coventry to sell their best players.
      Before the stadium was even finished, it was sold by the club in 2005 to property developers and rented back at a high cost.
      Coventry City super fan will hope to see his team back in the big timeCredit: PA
      It would be a dream for Luton Town supporters to be in the Premier LeagueCredit: Getty
      In 2013 the club was forced to ground share with Northampton Town following a rent row.
      Supporter Ian Davidson, 70, says: “I was told we were 15 minutes from going out of business before we went to Northampton.”
      The club have had points deduct­ed for going into administration and failing to fulfil fixtures due to the state of their pitch, which they used to share with Wasps rugby club. In 2017 they were relegated to lowly League Two, before climbing back up the leagues.
      Premier League status would be a much-needed boost for Luton. It is estimated that half a billion pounds has poured into Brighton since they made it into the world’s richest football league in 2017.
      Nearly a third of all children in Luton live in poverty, and its jobless rate of 8.5 per cent is almost twice the national average.
      Gary Sweet praised the local community, saying: “It’s an indus­trial town, tough, hard-working and kind-hearted. More is don­a­t­ed to charity than anywhere in the UK.”
      Neither Coventry nor Luton have splashed cash in the promotion push. Their wage bills are in the lowest three in the Championship.
      Gary claimed: “A couple of Championship clubs spent more on agents fees than we did on players.”

      For that reason their rise has been described as a fairytale.
      Mick Harford, who is in charge of recruitment at the club and is undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, concludes: “They should make a film out of it if we win.”
      Coventry fan Ian Davidson, 70, says: ‘I was told we were 15 minutes from going out of business before we went to Northampton’Credit: Supplied
      Luton Town supporter Kevin Harper says: ‘It will be sad to leave, but if we are to have any chance of competing in the Premier League we need a bigger stadium’Credit: Damien McFadden More

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      in Soccer

      Footie boss’ furious ex ‘wrecked club’s bar including causing flood with beer taps & threatening to stab staff’

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      A FOOTBALL boss’s ex-girlfriend carried out “an orgy of destruction” in the club’s bar after they broke up.Laura Evenden, 45, went on the rampage at non-league Chatham Town ­following her split from chairman and manager Kevin Hake, a court heard.
      Laura Evenden went on a rampage ­following her split from chairman and manager Kevin HakeCredit: FACEBOOK/Laura Leigh Evenden
      Kevin gave Boris Johnson a team shirt when the then-PM visited last yearCredit: Andrew Parsons / Parsons Media
      Chatham Town will play in the Isthmian Premier next seasonCredit: FACEBOOK/CHATHAM TOWN FC
      Evenden hurled cans of paint on the floor, pushed a TV, lobbed fruit from a fridge and caused a flood by turning on the beer taps.
      She threatened to knife a female staff member if her demand to speak with Mr Hake was ignored.
      And she burst a balloon display and stabbed a club sign, sofa and cushions.
      She and Mr Hake, 47, broke up at the start of last year, a court heard.
      Read More on Kent
      She went to the club late on June 16 with a kitchen knife in her handbag.
      Her £5,300 wrecking spree ended when her mum arrived.
      Evenden, of Chatham, admitted threatening a person with a knife and criminal damage.
      Judge Philip Statman told her she was lucky no one was hurt, adding: “You proceeded on an orgy of destruction.”
      Most read in Football
      He handed Evenden a 12-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, at Maidstone crown court.
      Mr Hake gave Boris Johnson a team shirt when the then-PM visited last year.
      The side will play in the Isthmian Premier, England’s seventh tier, next season after promotion. More

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      in Motorsport

      Silverstone’s my favourite track despite huge crash… I won’t hesitate when I get out there, says F1 star Zhou Guanyu

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      CAN you guess the mystery sports star?I’ll give you some clues:
      Zhou Guanyu talks about how his favourite track is Silverstone, even after an accidentCredit: Supplied
      Would you be able to guess who he was if we just told you he was pretty decent at snooker?Credit: Supplied

      He went to school in Sheffield
       He likes Yorkshire puddings
       He’s pretty decent at snooker
       His nickname was Steve but he now prefers Joe
       He famously drove upside down

      All right, you’re never going to guess, it’s Chinese F1 driver Zhou Guanyu.
      Zhou moved from Shanghai to Sheffield as a 12-year-old to pursue his F1 dream, racing for a junior karting team and spending three years as a pupil at Westbourne School.
      It was clearly the right move because he went on to join Ferrari’s driver academy, scored five F2 wins including Silverstone and Monaco, and is now in his second full season in F1 with Alfa Romeo.
      READ MORE MOTORSPORT
      So, obvious first question: United or Wednesday?
      Zhou said: “Real Madrid. Because I was a big Ronaldo fan when I was younger.
      “But my fitness coach is originally from Sheffield and he’s a United supporter. He keeps me updated.
      “It’s impressive they’re back in the Premier League.”
      Most read in Motorsport
      This is Zhou’s first time back in the Steel City for ten years and he said: “It’s a place full of memories.
      “Everything feels exactly the same. Everybody is so laid back and chilled.
      “I met some old school friends for dinner last night and it was so good to catch up with them.”
      After a quick frame of snooker, Zhou drives me to his old school in Alfa’s brilliant Giulia Competizione.
      Zhou drove back to his old school in Alfa’s brilliant Giulia CompetizioneCredit: Supplied
      He held a quick Q&A with pupils in the school hallCredit: Supplied
      It’s not his. It’s borrowed.
      Zhou has the even more brilliant Giulia Quadrifoglio at home in London.
      Now for a quick Q&A with pupils in the school hall.
      It’s not long before Zhou’s first-corner horror smash at Silverstone crops up.
      One lad asks: “Did the halo (cockpit protection device) save your life at Silverstone?”
      Zhou replied: “Yes, definitely.
      “While I was upside down, the halo was scratching along the ground, keeping my head just above the ground.”
      The sickening crash saw Zhou’s car flip over after colliding with George Russell’s Merc, skid upside down for 100 metres, then catapult over the tyre barriers and end up wedged against the catch fence.
      He tells me later: “I try not to look back to the crash.
      “I skip the footage.
      “But Silverstone is still my favourite track in the whole world.
      “It’s so fast and flowing, you really have to trust the car.
      “Maggots and Becketts are such cool corners.
      “When I go back this year, I won’t hesitate.
      “I’ll just go out there and go for the maximum like I do every weekend.”
      Back to the school Q&A and another pupil asks: “Who do you like more, Senna or Schumacher?”
      Zhou replies: “Fernando Alonso.
      “I’ve been an Alonso fan ever since I was a kid and now I am racing against him.
      “I don’t know how he is still racing at his best level but I think he is one of the greatest ever drivers.”
      Q&A session over. Lots of autographs. And then it’s time to go.
      As we head for the exit, one lad passes Zhou in a corridor and tells his mate: “That’s Zhou Guanyu.
      “He tries to beat Max Verstappen.”
      Read More on The Sun
      Zhou replies: “Give me a Red Bull and I’ll do it.”
      As tha got thi key mi duck? More

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      in Soccer

      Surprising thing Premier League aces should have done if they want to play better, according to surgeon

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      FOOTBALL stars who have hair transplants play better once they have their new barnet, an expert claims.The procedure gives them fresh confidence — leading to better performances on the pitch, according to Dr Victor Hasson.
      An expert claims that footie stars who have hair transplants, such as Wayne Rooney, play better after having surgeryCredit: PA
      Dr Victor Hasson says Rooney removed the stigma by going public after his 2011 treatmentCredit: PA
      He said he has worked on many Premier League aces “whose lives have been changed”.
      He said: “They are able to perform at a high level when they have that confidence.
      “It is tremendous to have that self belief.”
      He said he would never reveal his clients’ names unless they spoke about their ops first, but he is best known for former Spurs boss Antonio Conte’s transplant.
      READ MORE BEAUTIFUL GAME
      And Dr Hasson — who has carried out 20,000 ops at his Hasson & Wong Hair Transplant Clinic in Vancouver — hailed Wayne Rooney for going public after his 2011 treatment.
      He added: “Rooney removed the stigma.
      “Even in Canada, people were talking about him.”
      Dr Luciano Sciacca, a hair transplant surgeon at the Wimpole Clinic in London’s Harley Street, agreed a new head of hair boosted players.
      Most read in Football
      He was responsible for 27-year-old Rob Holding’s transformation — with the Arsenal defender now needing to wear an Alice band.
      Michael Panayiotis Kokotsis, marketing boss at the clinic, told the Daily Telegraph yesterday: “Rob has been great for our business.
      “Lots of young men look at him losing his hair and say, ‘Wow, that’s me’.
      “He is a walking advertisement for what a fantastic hair transplant looks like.”
      Dr Hasson is best known for former Spurs boss Antonio Conte’s treatmentCredit: Supplied
      The expert says that the procedure gives footie stars fresh confidence, which shows up on the pitchCredit: Getty More

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      in Soccer

      England football legend avoided bankruptcy with 11th-hour payment to HMRC

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      FORMER Liverpool and England footballer John Barnes has avoided bankruptcy with an 11th-hour payment to the taxman.An HMRC official told an insolvency and companies court yesterday that the money he owed had been paid in full.
      John Barnes has avoided bankruptcy with an 11th-hour payment to the taxmanCredit: PA
      A hearing in February was adjourned to allow “settlement negotiations”.
      Megan Vanderhook, who represented HMRC, indicated that Barnes, 59, owed at least £200,000.
      She told that hearing  the ex-Watford ace had repaid £100,000.
      Barnes was not in court yesterday, instead represented by his barrister.
      Read More on John Barnes
      The Jamaica-born midfielder has since tried his hand as a manager, author, commentator and pundit.
      He was declared bankrupt in 2009 over tax debts just days after being fired as head coach at Tranmere Rovers.
      At the time, Barnes said the issue was a “tax oversight”.
      The order was later rescinded.
      Most read in Football
      According to Land Registry documents, the World in Motion rapper was also the subject of bankruptcy petitions in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2019. More

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      in Soccer

      Huge stars lined up as Chelsea host Ukraine fundraising game a year after Russian owner Abramovich quit

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      CHELSEA is set to host a star charity football match to aid war-torn Ukraine.The game comes just over a year after its Russian former owner Roman Abramovich was forced to sell the club.
      Alex Scott is being lined up to take part in the event
      England hero David Beckham is also ready to turn out in support of UkraineCredit: Getty
      The game comes just over a year after Russian Roman Abramovich was forced to sell ChelseaCredit: AFP
      Celebs including TV host Alex Scott, singer Niall Horan, England hero David Beckham and pundit Rio Ferdinand — also an ex-Three Lions ace — are being lined up to take part in some form on August 5.
      Ex-Chelsea player Andriy Shevchenko and Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko — both Ukrainians — are tipped to captain the two teams at Stamford Bridge.
      Game4Ukraine will raise money for President Volodymyr Zelensky’s United24 global charity.
      Oligarch Abramovich quit Chelsea amid threats of sanctions after Vladimir Putin’s Russia invaded Ukraine last February.
      READ MORE ON UKRAINE
      A source said: “Game4- Ukraine is going to be the biggest charity event of the year.
      “As well as a massive match, there is going to be a huge half-time show from a couple of big name stars.
      “It is going to be a stellar event.”
      The game is organised by Lester Holcombe, whose 2017 Game4Grenfell raised £900,000 for victims of the tower block disaster.
      Most read in Football
      Former 1D star Niall Horan will also be taking partCredit: Rex
      Ex-Chelsea player Andriy Shevchenko, above, and Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko — both Ukrainians — are tipped to captain the two teams at Stamford BridgeCredit: Getty More

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      in Soccer

      Ex-England star makes £20m as he sells mega-mansion to downsize his family home

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      EX-England ace John Terry sold his mansion — netting almost £20million profit.The former Chelsea defender bought the 18th-century seven-bed property in 2019 for £4.1million before doing it up with wife Toni.
      John Terry and wife Toni have sold their mega-mansion for a massive £20mCredit: Getty
      The couple bought the home in Surrey for £4.1m in 2019Credit: Savills
      Dad of two Terry, now a coach at Leicester City, has flogged it for a massive £23million.
      A source said: “John and Toni have a real eye for interior design.
      “They built a huge outdoor swimming area – with a bar – which is perfect for parties, and modernised other rooms.
      “They put in a gym, and rebuilt the garages to host a fleet of luxury sports cars.”
      Staff quarters were also added to the seven-acre Surrey estate.
      The couple, both 42, have snapped up an £8m property a few miles away.
      They have also been involved with four homes on the Crown Estate in Oxshott, one of Britain’s most exclusive areas.
      The source added: “They have made a huge profit which they can now use to invest in other homes.
      Most read in Football
      “It’s a pretty tidy sideline.”
      Terry, a former Chelsea and England captain, is moving his family to a smaller £8m property a few miles awayCredit: EPA More

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      in Boxing

      Fuming boxing legend Frank Bruno claims ministers ‘don’t give a monkey’s’ about people with mental health problems

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      BOXING great Frank Bruno claims ministers “don’t give a monkey’s” about people with mental health problems.The ex-world heavyweight champ says those with illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are being betrayed.
      Boxing legend Frank Bruno says mental health sufferers have been let down by politiciansCredit: PA
      Frank, 61, said: “Every time an election comes up ministers say, ‘We will make changes, we will spend some money, we will make things better’.
      “It’s a lie. They don’t stick to it. A lot of them just don’t give a monkey’s.
      “There’s tens of thousands of people across the country being let down and betrayed.
      “I’ve been invited into the House of Commons and I’ve heard a lot of very important people promise the world.
      READ MORE ON MENTAL HEALTH
      “Then, when you try to phone up to get something, they don’t want to know.”
      Frank won the WBC world title by beating Oliver McCall at Wembley in 1995 and twice fought ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson
      He has since struggled with bipolar disorder but said he now feels “better than he has in years”.
      Describing the current failures in the system he said: “Too often doctors are just sending patients home with tablets or locking people up in hospitals and forcing them to exist like zombies.
      Most read in Boxing
      “I’d like to see the politicians go inside those hospitals to see what really goes on. But they don’t want to do it. It’s shameful.” More