Vesper

Cray Wanderers lolol best name

Man United to lose £17m a year with TeamViewer shirt sponsor deal - sources https://www.espn.co.uk/football/manchester-united/story/4341249/man-united-to-lose-17m-a-year-with-teamviewer-shirt-sponsor-deal-sources

2020-21 English FA Cup, Quarterfinals Everton Manchester City http://www.sportnews.to/mysports/2021/fa-cup-everton-vs-manchester-city-s1/ https://www.totalsportek.com/page-3/

lol, they are smoking crack at T-Markt and Fati is having his third knee operation within a year

damn Lewa already on a 10 man , 22 minute hat trick

Haaland is eager to come to Real Madrid The Norwegian knows that the Madrid club is the ideal for his career, a team that plays attack with creators like Modric and Kroos to give him measured passes. The operation can be: 120 million for Borussia, 30 for Raiola and 10 for the father https://www.abc.es/deportes/real-madrid/abci-haaland-esta-ansioso-venir-real-madrid-202103182039_noticia.html?ref=https:%2F%2Fwww.sportsmole.co.uk%2F lol Luka Modrić is soon (right at the start of the season) 36 years old and has been in decline since the 2018 WC

Agreed. and Mino should be lifetime banned from all football

Chelsea Owner And Billionaire Roman Abramovich On The Past, Present And Future Of The Club https://www.forbes.com/sites/leeigel/2021/03/19/Chelsea-owner-and-billionaire-roman-abramovich-on-the-past-present-and-future-of-the-club/?sh=4236d9541007 In early 2002, Roman Abramovich noticed that his new interest kept leading to the same thought. Whenever work meetings took him to cities across Europe, the Russian-Israeli businessman found himself attending football matches. It didn't take more than a few games to realize what was running through his mind. “There was so much emotion, so much excitement. I remember thinking, 'I want to be a part of this,'” Abramovich says. Something else about the sport was also grabbing the billionaire entrepreneur's attention. “The fact that there is no set formula for winning football matches. A coach and his or her squad have to consider many factors when approaching each match. It’s like every few days is a new exam and the work you have put in gets evaluated. I enjoyed, and still enjoy, the unpredictability and seeing how each game plays out.” Abramovich was soon sharing his excitement during conversations with business associates. That quickly grew into the idea of owning a football club. On the first day of July 2003, news out of London reported Abramovich as the new owner of Chelsea Football Club. It was a surprising development for three reasons. First, Chelsea was a historic English club that didn't change ownership hands often. Second, the purchase price of £140-million, including £75-million of debt, was more than anyone had ever paid for a club in the English Premier League. And, third, the buyer was bringing major foreign investment to the British game. “In hindsight, especially with the public profile it would bring me, maybe I would have thought differently about owning a club,” Abramovich says with a gentle smile and chuckle. “But, at the time, I just saw this incredible game and that I wanted to be a part of that in one way or another.” The road leading Abramovich to become owner of Chelsea was the starting point for this conversation, which took place via Zoom. Examples and concepts of the work being done by the club have appeared in my teaching and writing about decision-making in sports business. An interest in gaining further insights led to the opportunity to talk with Abramovich about his involvement with the club. The substantial sum of money invested in growing the club since the beginning of his ownership has followed two ambitions: “to create world-class teams on the pitch; and to ensure the club plays a positive role in all of its communities.” Abramovich says those were not just polished words then and aren't now. The reason why “first of all, is when you say something, you have to always follow through. And, I guess, that is especially if you're a person who doesn't say much. So, what you do say is very important,” he says. “Second, football is society. Football is part of society and society is part of football. So, it's the natural state of things for football to be in be involved, to support the community, and to be present in the community.” “The ambitions,” he continues, “are as true now as they were when I first became owner and I hope that can be seen through the work we have been doing on and off the pitch over the last 17 years.” Those ambitions are ingrained in a strategy that has enabled Chelsea to recruit some of the world's top talent on, around, and off the pitch. It men's, women's, and academy teams have collected to a total of 36 major trophies from competitions in England and around the world. “I think the trophies speak for themselves and show what we as a club have been able to achieve over these years,” Abramovich says, “and it’s my goal for us to keep winning trophies going forward and build for the future.” “Chelsea has a very rich history, and I feel extremely fortunate to a play a part in that,” he adds. “The club was here before me, and will be here after me, but my job is to ensure we are as successful as we can be today, as well as build for the future. That’s why the success of our academy at Cobham [the club's 140-acre training facility] is so important to me.” Today, hundreds of millions of fans, more than 500 official supporters clubs, and more than 100-million followers across major social media platforms cheer on Chelsea from locations around the globe. The club is presently valued at more than £2-billion. But, to Abramovich, “football is not just a business opportunity. Football is a community sport. Chelsea is a community. We need to embrace all of that community in the work that we do, the investments that we do, and the work that we focus on.” It is here that the full effect of why Abramovich bought Chelsea comes into sharper view. “Chelsea is not just the men's first team. Chelsea is a community. It's the women's team, it's the youth teams, it's the academy, it's support to former players of the club. It's something that we started to do since day one. The reason is that we approached Chelsea as a community. And people within the community—there are children, there are women, there are men, there are former players, there are current players, there are future players—all of them need to be welcomed and part of how we conduct the business.” For example, Abramovich recalls,“when we bought the club, it was clear that former players were not really involved. They were not even invited to see games. So, that was something else—support for former players, people who had helped the club along the way, and to give them an opportunity to continue being a part of the club and the story going forward.” Another example is the women's team, which has been a part of the club since the second year of Abramovich's ownership. Leadership's support for the squad—a base at Cobham, a dedicated stadium, and travel to international friendlies—has been ahead of the curve of most clubs. But Abramovich isn't much interested in such a competitive comparison, mostly because it misses the larger point. The women’s team, Abramovich says, is “a critical part of Chelsea and shapes who we are as a club. I see no reason why clubs wouldn’t want to support women’s football and provide the best possible opportunity for them to succeed. For me, this is both about the principle, but, also, women’s football has huge potential. If women’s football received the same level as support as men’s football, the sport would obviously be equally successful on the business side.” “And I think investment pays off,” he adds. “I think their success demonstrates what can be achieved when you dedicate resources and the right leadership. [Manager] Emma Hayes has been remarkable in her work with the team.” In the past year alone, the team was crowned champion of the Women's Super League, broke the longest unbeaten streak in WSL history (32 games), and won a Continental Cup for the second consecutive season. Doing things off the pitch is an important part of teamwork at Chelsea, particularly in community activities that flow through the Chelsea Foundation. Each year, more than 1-million participants in 20 countries are engaged through 500 programs that use football and sport to improve a range of social, humanitarian, educational, and professional issues. “With sport at this level also comes opportunity and we are proud that the club’s foundation is the largest in UK football,” Abramovich says. “I hope that our fans and the wider community can see the same level of commitment in our support for them as we have for the team.” That commitment was sustained when outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic sent London into lockdown and English football to shutdown. Chelsea responded by continuing to pay all employees as if matches were being played, offering hotel accommodations and meals to National Health Service staff, and running a campaign to raise awareness and funds for the domestic violence charity Refuge. The Chelsea Foundation provided online sport, education, and social programs for youth to the elderly. At such a turbulent and uncertain time, Abramovich says, “it was quite clear from the start that we wanted to help. … Chelsea is a part of the community and should of course play a role in contributing and helping, in the ways we can. I hope the projects we supported as a club played a role in helping and I am grateful to all the fans who also lent their support to the various club-led initiatives during the pandemic.” At the same time resources were being directed to pandemic response, Chelsea was also maintaining its social responsibility programs. High up on that list are initiatives aimed at combatting antisemitism, racism, and other forms of hatred cropping up in society, including on and around football pitches. “Racism, antisemitism, this is all the same type of evil and should have no place on our world at this day and age,” Abramovich says. “Every time I get sent examples of racist abuse that our players face, I am shocked. It’s disgraceful that this is the reality for not just our players, but for anyone targeted by this sort of abuse. If we as a club can make a difference in this area, in fighting antisemitism, racism and promoting tolerance, I am determined to stand behind it and contribute in whatever way I can.” Tackling intolerance is an issue that Abramovich also feels personally responsible to do something about. Although some 15 years have passed since he has given a media interview or press conference, his own words have not been entirely absent from the public sphere. On a handful of occasions, he has communicated his thoughts through personally-written messages—each time about something having to do with social responsibility. Abramovich has penned letters for matchday programs around Chelsea's Say No To Antisemitism campaign. His words appeared in a club press release about making a change to the men's first team manager position this season. And a personal letter that he had delivered to each player after men's first team member Reece James was racially abused online earlier this year showed up in media reports. “Statements with regard to the Say No To Antisemitism campaign or Frank Lampard or Reece James,” Abramovich says, “these are very, very big themes and they are very, very important. Things at that level require me to personally show that I am behind it and that I am accountable.” Even then, he channels the attention to work being done by the club, its people, and its community. Abramovich's comfort zone is in infusing values and inspiring standards throughout Chelsea, rather than generating personal celebrity. “It has never been my ambition to have a public profile,” he says. His instinct is that the performance of the team, manger, board, and club “should speak for itself. It is not helpful to provide additional running commentary.” One area of performance that many fans and media might want more commentary about settles on the turnover rate of men's first team managers—15 managers in less than 18 years. On the surface, the numbers suggest short-term thinking and impulsive decision-making about strategy. Yet, as Abramovich describes, it has to do with culture feeding strategy more than strategy as a standalone. He says that while Chelsea's culture is “definitely focused on performance, it is at the same time supportive, inclusive and diverse. Both elements are critical to our success and one does not work without the other.” “I think we are pragmatic in our choices,” he continues. “And we are comfortable making the right changes at the right time to ensure we can achieve our long-term ambitions. I hope it also says something about the clarity of the long-term ambition of the club. Those who join understand the objectives both on the pitch, as well as the wider positive role the club plays in the community.” Twenty years ago, Abramovich was one of tens-of-thousands of fans sitting in a stadium somewhere in Europe, realizing how great it felt to simply be watching a football match. Two years later, in London, he was becoming owner of Chelsea because of the opportunity it provided for fusing that “love” of “following the successes and the ups and downs” of football with his guideposts of innovation and investment. That contribution had an immediate impact on the club, its sport, its business, and its communities. Abramovich has kept it up—and is committed to keep it going.

do we even have a buyback option if AC Milan exercises their perm buy option? He so looks the real deal at AC Milan, he was superb versus Manure, they just couldn't score enough as half their big boys were out up front (more than half actually) AC Milan are mad as ass if they do not buy him, the strike price only £25m + £5m in potential add-ons Go find a CB with his skillset (and that PACE) for basically £30m. Good luck, even in COVID market. Jules Koundé is SHORT (5cm shorter than me, ffs) and overrated, he has had shit game after shit game thsi season, most every time I watched him play Upamencano is already locked up by Bayern (and I do not rate him atm, he is still a shadow of what he was last year for some bizarre reason) Alaba will not go to club that will use him as a CB plus he wants insane salary (390K per week or some such shite) then you have the crazy expensive/not available/ or some with issues even if they were ones Matthijs de Ligt (his cost would be insane) Marquinhos (he is not leavig, I so doubt it, would be a monster pickup though, and he can play a great DMF as well) Raphaël Varane (he has never truly recovered from his slump, he doesnt pay well without Ramos as his partner) José María Giménez (too injury prone, never has looked the same since Godin left) Kalidou Koulibaly (to old for the cash they will want, he turns 30yo in exactly 3 months) Alessandro Bastoni (superb young CB, so hard to pull) Milan Skriniar (he is not good on the ball, his stock has dropped a lot) Alessio Romagnoli (Tomori has benched him for now, plus he is the captain) that leaves Wesley Fofana < my number one want, complete package, size, pace, young, EPL proven already, strength, tactically sound Gianluca Mancini Edmond Tapsoba Sven Botman (poor mans De Ligt, even bigger size-wise) Pau Torres Caglar Söyüncü Ibrahima Konaté (a huge CB, more of a Zouma type, plus lots of injuries) Marash Kumbulla Ronald Araújo (probably impossible to pull him from Barca) Ben White Duje Caleta-Car Evan N'Dicka (left footer, big pacey, strong) and these youth Benoît Badiashile Sebastian Walukiewicz Josko Gvardiol Mohamed Simakan Maxence Lacroix

Rudiger insists Timo Werner is not fastest player at Chelsea https://www.thechelseachronicle.com/club-news/rudiger-insists-timo-werner-is-not-fastest-player-at-Chelsea/ Antonio Rudiger said Timo Werner has always been quick since he was young but insisted his Germany teammate is not the fastest at Chelsea. “My speciality is that I am really fast” — that was the one of the first things Werner said in his first interview with Chelsea following his summer move from Leipzig. He’s clearly not all talk — time and time again, his pace has made the difference for Chelsea during games. Hakim Ziyech’s opening goal in the 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid a few days ago, for example, was made possible by his outpacing Atleti defenders. Rudiger said Werner was already outstanding because of his pace when they were together at Stuttgart. Asked whether he knew that Werner would make it at the top level, the centre-back told Soccer AM: “Yes, because his speed and eagerness to score goals, [these] come to him naturally. “When he came up the first time [at Stuttgart], he was 16 or 17, and in training, he was so fast, so quick, and his finishing was very good at that level. “It was just a matter of time for him to breakthrough [at highest level].” Unsurprisingly, based on FIFA21 rating, Werner is the fastest at Chelsea. But Rudiger still thinks that he could beat Werner over longer distances. “Honestly, something tells me that Fik [Tomori] and I are quicker [than Werner],” he explained. “Maybe not for the first 10 metres, but if we go, I would say it’s between me and Fik.”

Transfer update: Dortmund will ask for €150m for Haaland in the summer https://barcauniversal.com/transfer-update-dortmund-will-ask-for-e150m-for-haaland-in-the-summer/ As we move closer to the transfer window, there is a new report surrounding probably the window’s hottest commodity, Erling Braut Haaland, almost every day. This time it’s Dortmund’s Sporting Director who is making heads turn. According to the German Bild Sport (relayed by City Xtra), Dortmund will ask for €150m for Haaland in the summer. The 21-year-old is also rumoured to have a clause in his contract, which will make his release clause go up to €75m (€100m, my add per new info from Bild) from the 2022 season. Many European powerhouses are in the race to sign the Norwegian sensation, and there is a minimal possibility that the teams will wait until the 2022 season. Borussia Dortmund’s sporting Director had his saying regarding the matter (via Welt ) “If Haaland decides to leave us, he could only join a very small number of teams. But we’ll try to keep him as long as we can.” Currently, Dortmund is in the 5th position in the league table and fights for the 4th and final spot in the UCL. If Dortmund fails to qualify for the UCL, Haaland’s chances of staying at Dortmund will go down significantly. Ever since the election of a new board, there has been optimism amongst the Culés across the globe to land the dream signing of Haaland. Laporta’s board knows that it will be a complicated signing due to the club’s delicate financial situation. However, the world knows about the excellent ties Laporta has with the top agents across Europe, a thing he would look to count on to land this fantastic signing. Alongside Barca, Manchester City and Real Madrid are in the race to acquire the Dortmund striker’s services. Given both the Spanish giants’ financial conditions, it’s a no-brainer that City is the only club that can complete the transaction in a heartbeat. However, we have seen window behave notoriously in the past, and given the pulling power of the two Spanish clubs, we are definitely in for a high-stakes battle.

Don't forget Camavinga. The money dictates raiding Ligue 1, but holy shit am I going to go bonkers if Manure (or less likely Pool) lands Declan Rice. Only player I agreed with Lamps on in terms of targets we do not have. He wanted some shit as well. Chilwell was also his lad. Supposedly the only one of the 6 who came in the summer. Look how that is working out atm. I so stand by by Theo Hernandez want. He was great against Manure, AC just had far too many crucial players out. Tomori was really good as well.

so can Granada and Roma

We have a puncher's chance to at least get to the final, and in a one off game (think 2012) anything can happen. GREAT DRAW

Throwing everyone under the wheels of Funtime José's party bus All aboard! Photograph: Luka Stanzl/PA Scott Murray ALL ABOARD FUNTIME JOSÉ’S PARTY BUS! Beep beep! Parp parp! Honk honk! On Thursday, Funtime José Mourinho took the lads out for another exciting ride in his Party Bus. It’s usually a laugh riot on the Party Bus, everyone loves it, but sadly the beano for once didn’t go exactly to plan. Parking up in front of goal in Zagreb, Funtime forgot to let everyone out to play until it was way too late. Then on the way home, the ride became very uncomfortable and extremely bumpy, less to do with Croatian motorway disrepair and more with Funtime oppressively sulking while his captain systematically threw everyone else out of the door and under the wheels. 'It is a disgrace': Lloris damning of Spurs defeat and claims togetherness lacking Read more “We had a great moment in the past because we could trust the togetherness that was in the team,” sighed Hugo Lloris, reminiscing of those glory days when Spurs nearly won the Milk Cup, and nearly won the Premier League, and nearly won Big Cup. “[Now], I’m not sure about that. It is not [enough] to stay on the side and complain.” A searing indictment, and one which Funtime was only too happy to embellish: “On behalf of my team, in spite of some of them maybe not sharing my feelings and emotions, I can only apologise.” Given he once required nearly eight minutes to deliver the unprompted soliloquy that prepared the groundwork for his dismissal at Chelsea, kudos to him for whittling this particular art-form down to a mere 22 words. Years of practice paying off there. Despite the fractious atmosphere, and the suspension of the Party Bus being tested to its limits by prone members of Thursday night’s starting XI, Joe Hart remained asleep in the back. When he finally awoke, the near-empty Party Bus pulling back into the garage, the somnolent shot-stopper was horrified to read that one of his vast team of social-media disgrace lackeys had posted “job done” using his SMDT account. “I’ve literally just woke up, someone thought we’d won 3-0,” he yawned. “As sloppy as it sounds, it’s the truth.” It speaks volumes that this was, by some distance, the least farcical element of Tottenham’s big day out. Beep! Parp! Honk! LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE Join Ben Fisher from 6.30pm GMT for WSL MBM coverage of Arsenal 2-2 Manchester United, before Scott Murray is on hand for Fulham 1-2 Leeds in the Premier League. QUOTE OF THE DAY “Let’s be clear, it’s disparaging. There’s an element of xenophobia about it. There are negative undertones. It’s clear that football is resisting this appointment through feeding journalists with negative information about the candidate – what he can’t do, why he shouldn’t be there, the process is wrong” – Gary Neville condemns elements of English football for their reaction to Maheta Molango’s appointment as PFA chief suit. FIVER LETTERS “Re: yesterday’s Fiver. You just didn’t want to preview the FA Cup quarter-finals today, did you? So you thought you’d tempt fate and see which team(s) nibbled so you could cover them instead. I beseech you – you must use your powers for good in future” – Jim Hearson. “Here in the land of soccer, we have a concept called the woof god, malignant sports deities who smite those who brag (woof) about their team(s). Clearly, they were listening to yesterday’s Fiver when it hyped the British teams in Big Vase – smiting Tottenham. Then, seeing it was The Fiver, they took pity on the other English teams, and let them escape by a single goal, but still took down the last Scottish team. Beware the woof gods, for they are mighty” – James Armstrong. “José Mourinho must be the only manager in history who, in the space of six days, has watched his team score a goal-of-the-season contender literally off the back foot and then seen the scorer sent off for two fouls of Scholesian predictability; seen a two-goal lead overturned in Europe and then offered to play the role of internal critic himself, because ‘I don’t need external critics’. Remember when his teams used to score once and shut up shop? These days they can score as often as they like but it’s open all hours, and Spursiness abounds” – Justin Kavanagh. Send your letters to [email protected]. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day is … James Armstrong. NEWS, BITS AND BOBS Liverpool will face Real Madrid in Big Cup quarter-finals, knowing victory would lead to a semi against Chelsea if they can overcome Porto. Elsewhere, Dortmund’s Erling Haaland has a date with his dad’s former employers in Manchester, while PSG are out after being drawn with Bayern. In what must be a first, Manchester United will face their former ITV region Granada in the last eight of Big Vase. Arsenal, meanwhile, must tackle LWT. Sorry, Slavia. United have also announced a five-year £235m shirt sponsorship deal with TeamViewer, which starts from next season. The Queen’s Celtic will not give the Pope’s Newc O’Rangers a guard of honour to mark their Scottish title when they meet on Sunday. “For us, we spoke collectively about it and we won’t do it,” sniffed caretaker boss John Kennedy. “It is not about lacking class, nothing like that, because we are a club that always shows class and dignity and do what is right.” And in Vietnam’s second tier, Can Tho’s goalkeeper celebrated saving a last-minute penalty he had conceded in the 1-1 draw with Cong An Nhan Dan by knee-sliding at the referee. STILL WANT MORE? Stick or twist for Brucie? Louise Taylor on crunch time for Newcastle. Powered by Abu Dhabi’s wealth, the Guardiola blueprint works in India and across Asia – although conflicts of interest await. John Duerden digs deeper. Phil Foden should be central for City and England, neutrals should root for Brighton and the Queen’s Celtic seek a long-term plan. Yes, it’s 10 things to look out for in the FA Cup, Premier League and beyond this weekend. Suzanne Wrack sets the scene as Arsenal and Manchester United battle it out for the third automatic Women’s Big Cup spot. Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO! BETTER TIMES AT THE WHITE HART

Friday March 19 2021 Football Nerd How Emile Smith Rowe revived Arsenal's season with and without the ball By Daniel Zeqiri If Mikel Arteta's Arsenal are improving so much, how come they are still 10th in the Premier League? The reason is they spent half of their league campaign playing like the 15th-best team in the division and the second half playing like a top six outfit. The bookmark in the season was a Boxing Day victory over Chelsea, since when only the Manchester clubs and Leicester City have accumulated more points. That also happened to be Emile Smith Rowe's first Premier League start of the season, and the attacking midfielder has been the catalyst for Arsenal's revival. In this week's Football Nerd, I look at how his presence in the team has improved Arsenal's attacking output and also their pressing from the front. Looking for up-to-the-minute coverage, live match updates, dedicated newsletters and inside stories? Get a 12-month Telegraph Sport subscription today for £39. The best of this week's coverage Divided they fall: Hugo Lloris calls Spurs' Europa League exit a 'disgrace' and hints at dressing room split Talent factory: The secrets of the Arsenal academy - and how it drives ambition to mirror Barcelona and Ajax Comment: Chelsea's improvement under Thomas Tuchel proves they were right to sack Frank Lampard The Amad Diallo story: Smuggled into Italy by traffickers, a child 'phenomenon' and a dream move to Man Utd Make or break: Newcastle must win at Brighton to silence Steve Bruce's most rabid critics 'I don’t agree with it because in a head-to-head with Kieran Trippier, for me it's a no-brainer. Alexander-Arnold should be picked.' In one of two columns this week, Jamie Carragher says Trent Alexander-Arnold's omission from the England squad is not a shock - but is still a mistake. This week's best stat 10 Should Tottenahm lose at Aston Villa on Sunday, it would be the first time in Jose Mourinho's career that his team have suffered 10 defeats in a single league campaign. The week in a picture CREDIT: SHUTTERSTOCK Down and soon to be out?: Harry Kane looks dejected after Tottenham's best chance of Champions League qualification slips away with a collapse at Dinamo Zagreb.

After years of Premier League braggadocio, something has changed Chelsea celebrate their safe Big Cup passage. Photograph: Adam Davy/PA Rob Smyth ENGLAND (AND SCOTLAND) EXPECTS Not content with routing every European country in the Covid death stakes, England is now teaching them how to play football, again. It’s impossible to convey how hard it is to admit this but, for the first time in The Fiver’s lifetime, England might actually have the strongest league in the world. Premier League also-rans Chelsea’s disturbingly easy victory over La Liga leaders Atlético Madrid reinforced the feeling that, after almost three decades of ludicrous braggadocio about the Premier League being the best in the world, something has changed. This, admittedly, is hard to reconcile with some of the erratic fiascos we have seen in domestic football this season. But the litmus test will always be European competition, and English teams have already seen off some of the finest in Spain, Germany and the Republic of North Macedonia. On Thursday, there’s a chance to add Italy to the list, with Manchester United visiting Milan in the kind of the tie that could give Big Vase a good name. Milan drew 1-1 in the first leg at Old Trafford, and were the better team, but United can be lethal away from home and nobody will remember last week’s performance if they do the necessary. It’s a huge game, almost as big as West Ham at home last Sunday. “The league is always the bread and butter and that’s when you see how capable you are,” roared Ole Gunnar Solskjær. “The cups are sometimes an ego thing for managers and clubs. It’s not like a trophy will say ‘we are back’, no. Sometimes the cup competitions can hide your progress a bit.” Solskjær wants Manchester United to be judged on league form not cup wins Read more In an unrelated development, José Mourinho is hoping to win his 26th trophy and his third Big Vase. His Spurs side have a 2-0 lead going into the second leg at Dinamo Zagreb. The Croatians will have a new coach, Damir Krznar, after Zoran Mamic signed a four-year contract with Big House FC. Spurs are likely to be joined in the quarter-finals by Arsenal, who are 3-1 ahead from the first leg and will have to work extremely hard if they are to embarrass themselves against Olympiakos for the second year running. Last, and definitely not least, are the Pope’s Newc O’Rangers, who host Slavia Prague after a 1-1 draw last week. $tevie Mbe’s side have had Solskjær’s cake and eaten it by making so much progress in the league that they won the bloody thing and got to lift a trophy as well. Anything that happens in Europe is a bonus, though it would be quite an achievement to reach the last eight for the first time since 2008. The draw for both the quarter- and semi-finals of Big Cup and Big Vase will take place on Friday, and England could provide six of the 16 teams. That would be at least twice as many as any other country. On the back of the 2018-19 season, when all four finalists were English, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that any tea-time emails with an allergy to jingoism might want to spend the next few months at a digital retreat on the Kerguelen Islands. LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE Join Rob Smyth and Simon Burnton from 5.55pm GMT for hot clockwatch coverage of the Big Vase last-16 second legs. QUOTE OF THE DAY “The matter was blown out of proportion as Fenwick only chose to express his disapproval of a certain member of the media fraternity being present at a scheduled media briefing. Apologies were exchanged and Fenwick and Fuentes have since agreed to put the incident behind them” – the Trinidad and Tobago FA denies reports that Terry Fenwick butted the national team’s media director Shaun Fuentes before a press conference on Wednesday. FIVER LETTERS “I like Belgium. They specialise in beer, chocolates and smothering chips in mayonnaise. But their latest little wheeze of combining their league with the Dutch top flight (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs) will only have one guaranteed outcome. Residents of Scotland will be subjected to acres of painful newspaper and social media disgrace coverage, as the grasping associates of the Old Firm make yet more ponderous claims that their clubs should be allowed to join the English Premier League, even if that league doesn’t particularly want them. Stop it now!” – Colin Reed. “The infamous German police file Gewalttäter Sport that lists people potentially showing delinquent behaviour at future sporting events has had some new entries since March 2020 – from issue No 158 (March 2021) of Austrian football magazine Ballesterer. This came as no surprise to me, I must say. I knew there was something wrong with all the others” – Karl Leigart. Our eyes on you lot. Photograph: Ballesterer Send your letters to [email protected]. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day is … Colin Reed. RECOMMENDED LISTENING Here’s Football Weekly Extra. NEWS, BITS AND BOBS The FA has confirmed that former Crewe manager Dario Gradi is “effectively banned for life” from football. It suggested an assessment concluded that Gradi, suspended since 2016, “could potentially cause or pose a risk of harm to children”. Meanwhile, the Offside Trust has called on Gradi to have his MBE revoked. Morecambe midfielder Yann Songo’o is beginning a six-match suspension after using a homophobic slur in a League Two match against Tranmere. Ollie Watkins and Sam Johnstone are in the England squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, but Trent Alexander-Arnold has been cast aside. Full squad: Henderson (Manchester United), Johnstone (West Brom), Pope (Burnley); Chilwell (Chelsea), Coady (Wolves), Dier (Tottenham), James (Chelsea), Maguire (Manchester United), Mings (Aston Villa), Shaw (Manchester United), Stones (Manchester City), Trippier (Atlético Madrid), Walker (Manchester City); Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Foden (Manchester City), Lingard (West Ham), Mount (Chelsea), Phillips (Leeds), Rice (West Ham), Morris-Dancing Fiver (Fiver Towers), Ward-Prowse (Southampton); Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Kane (Tottenham), Rashford (Manchester United), Saka (Arsenal), Sterling (Manchester City), Watkins (Aston Villa). Former Italy defender Daniele De Rossi is the Azzurri’s new technical coach, joing Roberto Mancini’s national team staff. Charlton have named Nigel Adkins as their new manager. “I believe Nigel is the perfect personality, with the perfect background and the perfect experience to get us to where we want to be,” cooed owner Thomas Sandgaard. And after a flamin’ spell with Newcastle Jets, Wales midfielder Joe Ledley has now rocked up at Newport County for the rest of the season. STILL WANT MORE? David Conn analyses the findings of the Sheldon report, and how the horror of sexual abuse managed to take hold in football. Clockwise from top left Barry Bennell, rhe FA, Bob Higgins, Kit Carson and George Ormond. Composite: BBC; AFP via Getty Images; Hampshire Constabulary/PA; SWNS.com; Northumbria Police/PA Sid Lowe picks the bones out of Atlético’s defeat to Chelsea … and it’s not pretty. Meanwhile, here’s Barney Ronay on a Chelsea goal that exemplified “the fevered, whirring dreams of Thomas Tuchel, waking at dawn murmuring about rejigs and combinations, the launch codes for an attack assembled last summer in the way you might sluice together a hopeful late-night omelette”. David Hytner reckons Luke Shaw’s England recall rewards a player in the form of his life. Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO! LET’S NOT BE TOO SNIFFY ABOUT THE PAPA JOHN’S JUST YET

I SO want Theo Hernandez at LB

fucking Pogba grrr and AC Milan are just devastated with injuries Alessio Romagnoli Theo Hernández Davide Calabria Ante Rebic Jens Petter Hauge Rafael Leão Mario Mandzukic plus Zlatan is only just returned

all of BT looks like they are going to cry

little club, little players chokers always

Mou in the fucking mud

weeeee spuds crash the fuck out!!

Orsic with a superb hat trick WC

2020-21 UEFA Europa League, Round of 16 AC Milan Manchester United http://www.sportnews.to/mysports/2021/europa-league-milan-vs-manchester-united-s3/ https://www.totalsportek.com/page-5/