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Post by Webster on May 10, 2023 20:25:52 GMT
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on May 15, 2023 17:48:19 GMT
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on May 19, 2023 18:52:46 GMT
(BBC Sport) Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe says he will talk about the Champions League "for fun" if his side secure qualification - but not before. Howe's team moved one win away from qualifying for Europe's leading club competition with a deserved Premier League victory against Brighton and Hove Albion. "The Champions League is so close, but so far away as well. We will enjoy tonight but we are focused on our next match," said Howe, who has been reluctant to discuss his side's top-four chances. "We were just pleased with the performance, to beat a side of their quality. We are not looking too far ahead. When it's done, I'll talk about it for fun if you want." Newcastle took the lead when Brighton forward Deniz Undav flicked Kieran Trippier's corner into his own net, before the Magpies skipper picked out Dan Burn from a free-kick to head in the second. Miguel Almiron was denied a third for Newcastle at the start of the second half by Brighton keeper Jason Steele's smart stop and, just 45 seconds later, Undav slotted in at the right end to give the visitors hope. Suddenly, after being in complete control for 50 minutes, Newcastle had to dig in. But the home team managed the game professionally and eased any lingering tension through Callum Wilson's composed late finish. The mood turned even more celebratory when Bruno Guimaraes emphatically converted Wilson's pass in injury time. The win puts Newcastle on the cusp of a return to the Champions League for the first time since they were knocked out at the qualifying stage in 2003-04. Eddie Howe's side, who consolidated third position in the table, know one win in their final two games will secure a top-four finish. The Magpies are three points clear of fourth-placed Manchester United, who have played a game fewer, and four ahead of fifth-placed Liverpool, who also have two games left. Brighton remain sixth and qualifying for the Europa League - which would be their first taste of European competition - remains in their own hands with three matches left.
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on May 19, 2023 19:02:08 GMT
(The Guardian) West Ham v Leeds United: With Leeds battling against relegation and Sam Allardyce taking his side to his former stomping ground of West Ham, the big man has been offering his thoughts on exactly what you might expect ahead of the big game: artificial intelligence. “I fear for our lives, as an old timer,” he said, channeling his inner Abraham Simpson. “AI (artificial intelligence). I’ve just heard about 40,000 jobs going at BT, what are they going to do? The next piece of AI comes in, another 30,000 jobs go, what are they going to do? For me, it is not a great future, the way we are looking at the world and what we are doing with climate change. I worry for my grandchildren.” And so say all of us, Sam.
Addressing far more frivolous matters, Big Sam turned his attention to the game and said he hoped West Ham’s win over AZ Alkmaar last night might benefit his team as David Moyes’ players may be focussed on their Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina and subconsciously trying to avoid picking up injuries. “My job is about getting my team playing as well as possible,” he said. “We can normally guess the team that is going to be picked but it is very difficult to look at this one. [David Moyes] made nine changes when they played Brentford last week, and of course our preparation is to try to predict a team, work out how West Ham play and do a little bit of practice against that, both offensively and defensively. “He might change the team but he will probably play the same way. I’m pleased for him [reaching a European final]; I’ve known him many years. He’s had a fantastic career. Hopefully when we are having a drink afterwards, it is us who have the three points, not him.”
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on May 19, 2023 19:06:09 GMT
(The Guardian) Wolves v Everton: Deep in the relegation doo-doo along with Leeds, Leicester and Nottingham Forest, Everton travel to Molineux tomorrow and ahead of this crunch encounter Sean Dyche has been telling reporters what he does and doesn’t stare at. “I don’t stare at the league table,” he said. “I stare at the performances, I stare at the group, I stare at the prep, I stare at the strategy, I stare at all these things, the tactics, these are the things I’m obsessing with. “Of course we all debate it and look at it during a season, of course we do, but the one at the end of the season, that’s the most important, the one we’re looking to be above the line on. I think we’ve just stayed very clear-minded, trying to take away the layers of noise around our group to make sure we’re focused on the game. That’s all we look to do, others can do however they wish.”
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Post by Webster on May 19, 2023 19:07:24 GMT
(The Guardian) West Ham v Leeds United: Sam Allardyce’s soliloquy on the subject of AI came on the back of a question he fielded about the torrents of abuse directed at Patrick Bamford by some Leeds fans on social media after the striker missed a penalty against Newcastle last weekend. Bamford and his family were subjected to online threats by keyboard warriors and his manager feels more should be done to protect footballers from such toxic and potentially intimidating bile. “He’s been OK,” he said of Bamford. “He’s obviously extremely upset about the situation. It’s something that’s left a very, very bad taste indeed. I’d like the police to do a lot more, but it appears with social media they rule the world and can say and do what they want unfortunately, which is why the world’s in such a big mess, isn’t it? “But he’s handled it pretty well. I think the club gave him as much support as he needed, particularly security-wise. It wasn’t just about him, it was about his family. The best way for him to respond is to go out on Sunday, play to his highest level and try and score. It would be great if he scored the winner. Hopefully it won’t affect his performance.”
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on May 19, 2023 19:10:27 GMT
(The Guardian) Newcastle United: Following last night’s win over Brighton, Newcastle need just one win from their remaining two games to secure Champions League qualification for the first time in 21 years. Despite having spent £250m on strengthening his squad since the club was taken over by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Eddie Howe has acknowledged that he will need to get plenty of new bodies in ahead of next season’s European adventures. In the unlikely event Newcastle drop out of the top four, they will still be competing in the Europa League. “If you have a strong squad, rotation will be important,” he said. “Rotation is going to be important, utilising the whole squad is going to be important. We haven’t felt the necessity to necessarily do that on a consistent basis because we’ve been in one competition - of course, we had the cup run. We have rotated to a degree, but maybe not in the numbers that we might need to next year. If you’re going to do that, then the squad needs to be strong enough, so if you put out two XIs, they’re of equal strength.” Newcastle host a beleaguered Leicester side who are desperate for points on Monday night but will be without Joe Willock, who limpedd off last night with what is presumed to be a season-ending hamstring injury. Sean Longstaff and Jacob Murphy are also likely to miss out, while Bruno Guimaraes is playing through the pain while struggling with an ongoing ankle issue. Howe also said that Joelinton is suffering from extreme fatigue after the Brazilian “succumbed to that brick wall” which he runs through in each game he plays. “It seemed to hurt him but we hope he’s OK,” he said.
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on May 19, 2023 19:11:13 GMT
(The Guardian) Bournemouth v Manchester United: Fighting to keep fourth spot in the Premier League with Liverpool breathing down their necks, Manchester United travel to Bournemouth tomorrow but could be without Marcus Rashford for the second game in succession. The England striker, who has scored 32 goals for club and country this season, missed last weekend’s win over Wolves through injury and after training all week in preparation for the Bournemouth game, is now reported to be feeling unwell. “Rashy trained well the whole week but today he reported he doesn’t feel well, so he is ill,” Erik Ten Hag. “We have to see how he recovers during the day and then see tomorrow.” United go into the game with a one-point advantage over Liverpool and a game in hand but can ill afford any more slip-ups after recent defeats at Brighton and West Ham. “When I see this project, first of all it’s important to get in the Champions League,” said Ten Hag. “I don’t think today at that standard, I look to the next game, and that’s Bournemouth. We have to win that game to get in the Champions League. We have everything in our hands so focus on the game, the games coming up, the first game is the most important.” Scott McTominay is expected to be available to face Bournemouth but on-loan midfielder Marcel Sabitzer will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Asked whether the Bayern Munich player could have a future at Old Trafford, Ten Hag said: “We will see. It’s not our main focus, the main focus is Bournemouth.”
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Post by Webster on May 19, 2023 19:41:08 GMT
(The Guardian) Manchester City v Chelsea: Frank Lampard has been garlanding City with praise while also being defensive of his rather indifferent record as Chelsea’s caretaker manager: “I have enjoyed it. You want to always get results but I had to be realistic. We are where we are for a reason. I can’t always impact results. There’s a lot of work to do here, but when I walk away I want there to be a feeling in the group, that they all have impressive careers here going forward.”
Pep Guardiola reminds us all that until a fortnight ago or so, there was a title race in which his team was having to do the chasing. They’ve showed it many times and now we talk about mentality because we won. I don’t believe I defend the team when we lose. Last year we didn’t have the mentality vs Madrid but now we have the same mentality. To recover eight points, we knew we had to win games and they had to drop points. If Arsenal maintained the rhythm of the first leg, it wouldn’t have been possible. They dropped points and we were there. It means a lot to us.
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on May 21, 2023 20:28:07 GMT
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on May 21, 2023 20:34:39 GMT
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on May 22, 2023 22:44:51 GMT
(BBC Sport) Newcastle claimed the point needed to secure a top-four Premier League finish with a goalless draw against relegation-threatened Leicester, whose fate is now out of their own hands. Eddie Howe's side failed to break the deadlock in a match they dominated, striking the post three times, but the result was sufficient for the Magpies to make a return to the Champions League next season. Newcastle are four points clear of fifth-placed Liverpool heading into Sunday's final day of the season, while Leicester remain in the relegation zone, two points adrift of safety. The hosts had 78% possession during the contest and initially found it difficult to make inroads, but Callum Wilson hooked an effort against the post and saw his follow-up effort headed off the line by Wilfred Ndidi. Three minutes before half-time the hosts rattled the post again through Miguel Almiron, while in the second half visiting goalkeeper Daniel Iversen acrobatically tipped over Alexander Isak's effort from distance. Bruno Guimaraes also hit the woodwork with a header from almost on the goal-line in the second period, but Leicester almost won it in injury time when Nick Pope kept out Timothy Castagne's acrobatic effort. Foxes boss Dean Smith started England internationals James Maddison and Harvey Barnes on the bench but neither was able to inject any impetus into their dull performance after coming on.
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Post by Webster on May 26, 2023 4:53:18 GMT
(BBC Sport) Brighton's Julio Enciso scored a fantastic equaliser as the Seagulls confirmed Europa League qualification with an entertaining draw against champions Manchester City. Phil Foden opened the scoring for Treble-chasing City, squeezing the ball beyond Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke on the goalline after Erling Haaland's assist left goalkeeper Jason Steele stranded. Brighton deservedly levelled through 19-year-old Enciso's stunning strike, which arrowed into the top corner from 25 yards. Haaland had a goal ruled out for a pull on his marker in 79th minute following a video assistant referee review, as Brighton held on for a draw that ends City's 12-match winning run in the Premier League. As for Brighton, the hard-earned point seals a top-six finish and cements a place in next season's Europa League group stage.
Manchester United booked their Champions League place with a game to spare thanks to a comfortable win over a dismal Chelsea side at Old Trafford. Casemiro headed the hosts in front, with Anthony Martial sweeping in Jadon Sancho's pass from close range to double their advantage. Bruno Fernandes added United's third from the penalty spot after being fouled by Wesley Fofana. And another Fofana error saw Marcus Rashford score a fourth before Joao Felix's late consolation for the Blues, who suffered their eighth defeat in 10 games under Frank Lampard and their 16th overall in a desperate campaign. The result meant United consigned old rivals Liverpool to Europa League football next season. It was not all good news for the home side though as Brazilian winger Antony was taken off on a stretcher in tears after suffering a lower leg injury in an innocuous challenge with Trevoh Chalobah - with the FA Cup final against Manchester City less than two weeks away. Manager Erik ten Hag said: ""I can tell you that it's serious but we have to wait minimum 24 hours and then we know probably more about the status of his injury." For Chelsea, their sorry season - their worst in almost two decades - cannot come to an end quickly enough, although their fans have at least retained their sense of humour as they sang "we've scored a goal" as they celebrated Felix's effort.
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#1979e6
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Post by Webster on May 26, 2023 17:46:03 GMT
(The Guardian) Ivan Toney was betting on himself to scoreThe full findings of the investigation into the Brentford striker’s gambling have been published and reveal that Toney bet on himself to score on 15 occasions before it was common knowledge that he would be playing in the games concerned. Toney received an eight-month ban but apparently got lucky. The independent regulatory commision who conducted the investigation on behalf of the FA say he would have got a a 15-month ban but for the mitigating factors of his guilty plea, his youth at the time of his rule-breaking, his “genuine remorse” and the fact he has been diagnosed with a gambling addiction. “The position appears to be that Mr Toney has ceased gambling on football although he still gambles on other sports and casino games,” says the report. “He is determined to address his gambling problem with therapy at the conclusion of the season.” Good luck to him as he takes his first steps on the road to recovery. Toney also bet on his own team to loseIt has also been revealed that back in 2017, Toney bet on the team he was with at the time to lose on a number of occasions but only in games in which he was not part of the squad and therefore could not negatively impact the games in question. If nothing else and with no pun intended, the striker clearly backs himself. Brentford have received and accepted the written reasons outlined by the Independent Regulatory Commision and we’ll bring you more details as we get them.
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Post by Webster on May 26, 2023 17:46:58 GMT
(The Guardian) Newcastle United: Eddie Howe says his team “massively over-achieved” by securing Champions League football this season. Newcastle guaranteed themselves a top-four Premier League finish with Monday night’s 0-0 draw with Leicester and will return to the biggest European stage after an absence of two decades. Asked about dealing with the expectation they have created, Howe said: “Ask me in a few months. I don’t know if it’s something you look forward to, but the dynamic will have changed for us. I think we have massively over-achieved this year for where we were at the start of the season and to keep over-achieving - and that’s what we’re going to have to do to match the expectation - is going to be our biggest challenge.” Newcastle bring the curtain down on their season with a trip to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea, who have not massively over-achieved this season, to say the least.
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