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      Steve Clarke urges Scotland to ensure Billy Gilmour’s display vs England doesn’t mean nothing amid coronavirus hell

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      STEVE CLARKE received the alarm call from hell when he woke to the news of Billy Gilmour’s positive Covid test.The 20-year-old Chelsea playmaker was right at the heart of Scotland boss Clarke’s plans for Tuesday night’s must-win game against Croatia at Hampden Park.
      Clarke congratulates Gilmour after Friday night’s gameCredit: Getty
      Steve Clarke faced the press today
      But now he will have to get by without his team’s star performer from last week’s goalless draw at Wembley after Gilmour was left inconsolable.
      Clarke, who hugged Gilmour at the final whistle on Friday, last night revealed: “We were tested on Sunday as normal ahead of the game and I was given the news at about ten to seven this morning.
      “The doc and our head of performance Graeme Jones had to have a very difficult conversation with Billy when the test came back positive and he’s very upset, as you would expect.
      “It was obviously a shock to the lad because he was going to start against Croatia after the way he played against England.”
      It was pointed out to Clarke that a lot of his players were hugging friends and family following the goalless draw with England last Friday.
      But he insisted: “People all over the world have caught this virus so it’s not something you can legislate for and I’m certainly not going to speculate about how it got into our camp.
      “We’ve followed the protocols, we wear masks at the right time, we wash our hands and have bottles of sanitiser around the place.
      “We do everything we can within the context of a global pandemic and a virus that you can’t see.
      Gilmour delivered a mature performance on Friday nightCredit: PA
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      “But now we have to make sure that Billy’s good performance against England doesn’t go to waste — and this a chance for someone else to step in and make themselves a national hero.”
      The entire Scotland squad has been left reeling ahead of their final Group D game, which they must win to stand any chance of progressing to the knock-out stages of a major tournament for the first time in their history.
      And defender Liam Cooper has vowed that they will be trying even harder to win the game for their absent friend.
      The Leeds centre-half said: “It was a shock when we heard the news about Billy and we’re all  gutted.
      But this will definitely give us a bit more motivation to do him proudLiam Cooper
      “He had just announced himself on the world stage with his performance against England  and now this has happened to him.
      “But this will definitely give us a bit more motivation to do him proud and hopefully we can get the job done against Croatia and start looking at the next round.
      “I’ve spoken to Billy and he’s feeling OK, so we just send our love to him and let him know that we’re all thinking about him.
      “I’ve had Covid myself so I know how rough it can be. I really struggled with it for a few days. It was difficult to deal with the headaches and the loss of taste and smell.
      “But John Fleck got through it a couple of weeks ago without any symptoms so hopefully Bill stays that way as well.
      “It is worrying to know that the virus is back because it feels 100 per cent safe in the camp.

      “We’ve all returned negative tests apart from Billy. And we took lateral flow tests as an extra precaution — and again everyone was negative.
      “I was asking the lads today who had been vaccinated because it wasn’t something I’d really thought about and I haven’t had my first jab yet.
      “To be honest, I don’t think I’d feel too good about having a vaccination so close to the game.
      “So we’ve got to be aware of the risks. But if we score against Croatia and get the win we need, it’s difficult to know how we’ll react because it’s heat of the moment stuff — and we all know the joy that football can give you.”
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      Fulham refusing to pay Scott Parker ANY severance pay as boss tries to seal Bournemouth move

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      FULHAM are digging in against Scott Parker and refusing to pay their outgoing manager a penny in severance pay.Parker is trying to negotiate his way out of the club to join Championship rivals Bournemouth.
      Fulham are refusing to pay outgoing Scott Parker a penny in severance payCredit: Rex
      And with two years left on his deal at Craven Cottage he could expect a hefty pay-off in excess of £2million if he left by mutual consent.
      But Fulham’s top brass are playing hardball and insist Parker will have to resign or just leave without pocketing any cash.
      It is why the inevitable parting of the ways has been dragging on for more than two weeks now since it was revealed Parker is top of Bournemouth’s wanted list to take over as boss.
      Current Cherries coach Jonathan Woodgate’s temporary contract expires at the end of this month and failure to get the club promoted will cost him the chance of a permanent deal.
      Parker was unable to keep Fulham in the Premier League but he still sees his future away from the club to get a fresh start.
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      Fulham have been linked with Swansea boss Steve Cooper to eventually replace Parker.
      Cooper has been strongly linked with Crystal Palace after two fine seasons in charge of the Swans but the Eagles have ripped up their list and are now looking elsewhere for their manager.
      Meanwhile, ex-West Ham boss Slaven Bilic is another name who has been considered to take over in a bid to try to get Fulham back into the Premier League.
      Scott Parker talks about the challenges of being head coach at Fulham More

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      Don’t get down over England’s draw with Scotland, we can still do this

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      NOW look. We spoke about this before the ­tournament. Or at least I did, with Teddy Sheringham, and relayed it to you. Teddy, in the interview I did for The Sun, was at pains to point out that back among the triumphs of Euro ’96 there were plenty of moments when things didn’t go to plan. 
      Teddy Sheringham and Gazza pictured during Euro ’96Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
      The first game was a draw, and England were none too clever against Scotland in the first half.
      And if McAllister had scored that penalty to equalise, who knows what might have happened.
      But England kept their heads, and we all just about kept ours, and magical things came to pass. 
      As was agreed with Teddy, success is born out of grinding through the bad bits as much as celebrating magical moments. It’s getting through dodgy times that allows the brilliance to show itself. 
      This can — and will — still happen if we don’t despair and don’t, for heaven’s sake, boo them off the pitch. 
       Let’s go so far as to bring in something Churchill is supposed to have said: “The secret of success is to stagger from failure to failure without noticeable loss of enthusiasm.”
      I give you one great example of a team which did just this — Portugal.
      In the last Euros’ group stage, they didn’t win a single game.
      They drew all three matches against Iceland, Hungary and Austria. Did they despair? Probably.
      Did they then go on to win the tournament? Erm, yes.
      We can still do this, for heaven’s sake. 

      England can learn from the Welsh.
      Remember England beating Wales in Euro 2016?
      Think how the Welsh must have felt.
      And then look at that brilliant photo of Chris Gunter after the final whistle gesturing to his countrymen in the stadium to keep their chins up.
      They went on to beat Belgium and get to the semis — England lost to Iceland.
      Chins up England fans, we can still do this. 
      The phase of form we’re in is disappointing. And, who knows, it could all be over for us very soon, but only if we let it. This phase could also be the making of us. 
      What we have learnt is we’ve got to find a way of scraping through.
      These are valuable skills we will need at some stage down the line if we are to win this thing — it’s as well to be getting the practice in now.
      Come on England fans, we can still do this.
      Sun super dog Willow predicts result of Euro 2020 England v Czech Republic game More

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      Euro 2020 final almost certain to stay at Wembley after stoppage-time deal between ministers and Uefa

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      THE Euro final is almost certain to stay at Wembley after a stoppage-time deal between ministers and Uefa.Boris Johnson’s team were last night scrambling to stop the last three games of the tournament being switched to Hungary amid a major travel row.
      Wembley stadium looks set to host the Euro 2020 finalCredit: Getty – Contributor
      The Sun can reveal Downing Street is on the cusp of an agreement with organisers to allow quarantine-free travel for VIPs.
      It could see up to 75,000 fans allowed in to watch the final at the stadium. However last night the Italians threw a spanner in the works by saying it should be stripped from Wembley because of Covid rates.
      PM Mario Draghi said he wanted it played “away from a peak of infections” and hinted the showpiece event should be staged in Rome.
      The Three Lions line up against the Czech Republic tonight, with a win guaranteeing another game at Wembley, against one of France, Germany or Portugal.
      If they come second with a draw, they will have to go to Copenhagen for an awkward clash against Spain, Slovakia, Sweden or Poland.
      A defeat leaves their fate in the lap of the gods.
      Harry Kane will again lead out the side after their drab 0-0 draw with Scotland last week.
      Cheering them on will be NHS heroes from North Middlesex Hospital – just 12 miles from Wembley.
      They treated thousands of Covid patients in the pandemic – and believe bringing the Euro trophy home can be the ultimate reward.
      Matron Laurence Dookie said: “After an incredibly busy and challenging year, the Euros has been something to look forward to and it’s been great to let off a bit of steam.”
      Uefa has demanded 2,500 quarantine-free VIP tickets for the final but Whitehall mandarins are trying to push that down.
      Officials say they will be kept separate from UK-based fans, must sign up to a code of conduct and isolate while away from the ground.
      Talks are also ongoing over increasing the final’s capacity to between 60,000 and 75,000.
      Insiders are confident they will strike a deal within the next 24 hours – staving off any threat of the final being moved to Hungary.

      In Budapest, 61,000-capacity crowds are packing in to the Puskás Aréna with no international quarantine measures.
      Culture minister Baroness Barran said yesterday: “We are not exempting any VIPs or accredited guests from our restrictions. If it’s agreed they should enter the UK, they would only be able to leave isolation for official events and be subject to a very strict code of conduct.”
      However the PM’s sister, journalist Rachel Johnson, said the proposals could be “the final nail in the coffin of the Covid restrictions”.
      Rival Scotland and England fans chant at each other on Wembley Way as cops separate groups More

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      Raheem Sterling in haven of happiness at Euro 2020 as England star enjoys playing time away from Man City

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      IT was curious to listen to Raheem Sterling yesterday.Curious to hear him describe England duty as a haven of happiness, despite the comedown from Friday’s gloomy draw with Scotland.
      ⚽ Follow ALL of the latest news and updates from Euro 2020 with our live blog
      Raheem Sterling is enjoying his time with England after growing frustrated at a lack of game time with Manchester City
      Sterling says the England squad has not been affected by Friday’s draw with Scotland
      And curious to hear him suggest he was dissatisfied with a lack of game time at club level — despite starting 28 times in Manchester City’s title-winning campaign and in the Champions League final as well as the Carabao Cup final.
      While Harry Kane’s form and club future are a source of national debate, Sterling faces similar issues.
      There are suggestions that City could be willing to sell the winger, who was unhappy at being benched by Pep Guardiola for both legs of his club’s Champions League quarter-finals and semi-finals.
      Sterling scored just ten times in the Premier League last season — half his haul from the previous campaign and well down on the 2018-19 season, when he was crowned Footballer of the Year.
      And as England prepared for their final Euros group match against the Czech Republic tomorrow night, Sterling was asked about an interview he gave last month where he stated that he was “nowhere near the level I know I can be”.
      Asked why he felt that had been the case, Sterling replied: “It is just happiness — just being happy, enjoying my football and that is what I am doing being here with the national team.”
      Then Sterling was asked whether he had not been happy in recent months.

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      And he responded: “If you’re not playing, you’re not happy. That’s me, that has been me since I was a kid. If I am playing football I am really happy — if I’m not, I’m not happy.”
      Sterling is perhaps more important to England than to City right now. He has started both games at the Euros – scoring the only goal in either match, in that opening victory over Croatia.
      Yet many would prefer that Gareth Southgate went with Jack Grealish.
      Sterling has been critical of England’s performances in both matches — claiming they did not keep possession well enough against the Croats and that they did not show enough “personality” against the Scots.
      And Sterling, 26, was certainly in tune with the mood of the nation when he suggested that England need to show more positivity.
      Sterling is confident Harry Kane will deliver for England when it matters

      He said: “I feel like, for me and Phil (Foden) and the other wingers, the more we can get on the ball at the edge of the opposition box, be a threat there, it will be better for us because those are the positions we want to be in.
      “At the same time, we have to understand that this is international football and teams are more robust, they sit in, defending for their lives.
      “We’ve just got to use the ball better and try to get the players on the ball in the right positions so we can harm the opposition.”
      As for Kane, who has looked sluggish in both matches at the Euros, Sterling is adamant that the captain will come good if he receives better service.
      Sterling said: “He hasn’t scored in two games. That’s not that serious. I’m sure when we need him most, he’s going to score. That’s not a question in my mind.
      “We, as a team need to produce more for him — more crosses into the box.
      “He’s a player who knows he can score in every single game and he will be the first to be disappointed but at the same I know when it’s crunch time Harry will be there.”
      Sterling insists there is no sense of panic inside the England camp, despite a grim display in the 0-0 against Scotland.
      He said: “I myself was very disappointed in the changing room on Friday but then one more day goes by and you realise it is not the end of the world.
      “You have got four points. It is tournament football, you can’t expect everything to go our way.
      “I feel the fans have an expectation of us, with the players we have in the squad and rightly so.

      “But as you can see from different games in the tournament, it is tricky in international football.
      “As a team we were disappointed not to win but we have a massive game on Tuesday against the Czech Republic and it’s a game we need to win.
      “I just feel there’s more of a panic on the outside than inside the building.
      “We don’t want any negativity creeping in and performance levels dropping and confidence dropping — and that’s all that would do.”
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Inside England’s luxury pad where they’re being pampered before their next Euro 2020 clash with the Czech Republic More

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      Wales star Kieffer Moore’s girlfriend Charlotte Russell stuns in an unbuttoned shirt on the beach

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      WALES football Wag Charlotte Russell gets shirty ahead of the principality’s Euros clash with Italy today.She’s the partner of Kieffer Moore, 28, who nabbed a goal in the opening game draw with Switzerland — despite a cut which saw his head bandaged.
      Wales WAG Charlotte Dawson will be cheering on the team against ItalyCredit: Jakub Doupovec/Triangle News
      The Red Dragons then beat Turkey 2-0 to be virtually assured of a knockout round spot.
      Model Charlotte, 26, will cheer Kieffer on in today’s final group clash v Italy and hope he grabs a pizza glory.
      Charlotte hopes Kieffer Moore will lead Wales to Euro 2020 glory
      Bandaged up Kieffer Moore scored in Wales’ opener against SwitzerlandCredit: PA

      Gareth Bale showing true colours for Wales at Euro 2020 as he finally has smile on his face More

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      Real Madrid eye Dominic Calvert-Lewin transfer in £50m swoop as Carlo Ancelotti turns to Everton ace

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      CARLO ANCELOTTI has put Dominic Calvert-Lewin on his wish-list as he prepares to rebuild Real Madrid.The Italian stunned Everton owner Farhad Moshiri by walking out on a £1million-a-month deal to return to the Bernabeu.
      Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored 21 goals in all competitions under Carlo Ancelotti’s tutelage last season
      Carlo Ancelotti is keen on reuniting with the Everton front man
      Now he could add insult to injury by going for DCL, who he has already described as the “complete striker”.
      And with the Toffees under growing financial pressure, Moshiri may feel forced to accept a cut-price £50m bid for the 24-year-old.
      The Goodison club have lost £240m in the past two years.
      With more negative figures certain to follow because of Covid, they are in danger of being hit by Financial Fair Play restrictions.
      Moshiri will have little wriggle room in the transfer market this summer — one reason Ancelotti quit after 17 months in charge.
      Calvert-Lewin is the most sellable commodity and, as he continues to establish himself with England, would normally be worth over £60m.
      But the Toffees are between a rock and a financial hard place, and Ancelotti knows that only too well.

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      He is also contemplating a move for Chelsea’s German striker Timo Werner but Stamford Bridge boss Thomas Tuchel wants to keep his fellow countryman.
      Moshiri did not put up a fight to keep Ancelotti to a contract that was supposed to run for a further three years because his departure enabled him to cut salary costs.
      He must slash more off the wage bill with Everton lurching towards a cash crisis — and Ancelotti is in a position to make him an offer he may not be able to refuse.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Emotional Sergio Ramos in tears as he bids farewell to Real Madrid More

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      Harry Kane vows to roar back to form for England in Euro 2020 knockout stages after Scotland struggles

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      HARRY KANE has told England fans: I’m fully fit and will peak when it really matters.TV pundits Graeme Souness and Roy Keane slammed Kane’s display in the Euros bore draw against Scotland, accusing the Three Lions captain of looking ‘leggy’.
      Harry Kane failed to score in England’s first two Euro 2020 games against Croatia and ScotlandCredit: Getty
      England fans are desperate for the captain to regain his impressive Premier League formCredit: Getty
      But Kane, subbed twice by Gareth Southgate, is convinced he will hit top gear in the knockout stages – unlike three years ago at the World Cup, when his goals dried up late on.
      The Tottenham ace admitted his fitness in Russia was partly to blame for England not making the final.
      But he said: “What we’ve learned over past tournaments is it’s about trying to peak at the right time.
      “Maybe in Russia there were times, towards the quarter and semi-final, when I wasn’t as sharp as I wanted.
      “In the end we didn’t quite get to where we wanted to go, maybe partly for that reason.
      “I know the chances will come with the players we have got in the team.
      “And when they do I will be more than capable of putting them away.”
      Euro stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne have all found the net already.

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      But Kane had just 19 touches against Scotland – his fewest ever at international level – before being hauled off.
      Keane also suggested Kane is being distracted by the uncertainty over his future at Spurs.
      But the England skipper insists that was not the case and there were no physical issues against Croatia and Scotland.
      Kane scored six goals, five of them in the group stage, to earn the Golden Boot on England’s run to the 2018 World Cup semis.
      He said: “All my focus is on how I can help this team and how we can be successful this tournament.

      “I didn’t feel physically I wasn’t up to it. I felt going into those games as good as I’ve felt all season.
      “As a striker you don’t score for a couple of games and then you score one or two and everything starts falling your way.”
      England face the Czech Republic next in their final Group D game and Kane added: “I know what I’m capable of.
      “Score a couple on Tuesday and everyone is talking about the Golden Boot again and how far we’re going to go.
      “It’s just about believing in each other. I believe in myself. That’s the only way to be – and it’s the best way to be.”
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Souness says ‘football is NOT coming home with this squad’ and slams England skipper Harry Kane after drab Scotland draw More