The English Football Thread

[Milan 17,853]

2 minutes ago, Jason said:

Before that, West Ham go to Old Trafford this weekend. 

Let the crumble begin!

[Vesper 28,767]

Ornstein: Lamptey out for season, Mbappe not for City, Ritchie cleared locker, huddle rebels

https://theathletic.com/2432533/2021/03/08/ornstein-lamptey-out-for-season-mbappe-not-for-city-ritchie-cleared-locker-huddle-rebels/

Brighton and Hove Albion have suffered a significant blow in their battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League after right wing-back Tariq Lamptey was ruled out for the remainder of this season following surgery over the weekend to repair a hamstring injury, The Athletic can reveal.

The 20-year-old England youth international has been sidelined with the problem since the middle of December and underwent an operation in London on Saturday to fix a tear to the tendon.

It is thought the procedure was successful and should enable Lamptey to resume training before the campaign is over, however he will not be fit in time to feature in Brighton’s final 11 fixtures.

Lamptey has played a key role since joining Graham Potter’s side from Chelsea in early 2020 and recently signed a new long-term contract to keep him at the club until the summer of 2025.

But he was forced off in the second half of a 0-0 draw at Fulham before Christmas and Brighton head coach Potter last week expressed concern that Lamptey could miss the run-in.

Although Brighton had been coping reasonably well in his absence, they have now lost three consecutive games and are separated from the drop zone by only goal difference.

It is also a setback for England Under-21s manager Aidy Boothroyd ahead of the Euros, which begin with a group stage later this month before the knockout phase is held in May and June.

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Mbappe wages mean move to Manchester City unlikely but Haaland an option

Manchester City’s inability to break down neighbours Manchester United in yesterday’s 2-0 home defeat underlined why they are looking to sign a top striker in the transfer window this summer.

They are among a small group of clubs in contention to recruit the prolific Borussia Dortmund front man Erling Haaland and The Athletic reported last month that high-scoring Inter Milan forward Romelu Lukaku is also a candidate being considered by the Premier League leaders.

City will naturally have other options. For example, there is a long-standing interest in Harry Kane but the price it might take for Tottenham to even contemplate letting him go has deterred suitors in the past and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy would be reluctant to strengthen a domestic rival.

One elite player who it is understood City are not actively pursuing, though, is Kylian Mbappe. The Paris Saint-Germain attacker is approaching the final year of his contract in the French capital and has yet to commit to a new deal, which has led to him being linked with many of the top sides.

 

Mbappe’s wages mean he is not a realistic option for Manchester City (Photo: Fred Tanneau/AFP via Getty Images)

But it is well known in the game that Mbappe’s salary expectations are extremely high and despite spending heavily on transfers under Sheikh Mansour’s ownership, City are unwilling to break their wage structure and risk causing damage to the harmony inside Pep Guardiola’s dressing room.

This is thought to be a factor affecting City’s attempts to extend the contract of Kevin De Bruyne, whose current terms expire in 2023 and so far there has been no breakthrough in negotiations.

It tallies with what the club’s chief football operations manager Omar Berrada told The Athletic last October, the executive talking of City wanting to run a “financially sustainable” operation.

The level of wages Mbappe is said to be seeking — around the same figure Neymar is set to earn from his next deal with PSG, which is close to being agreed — will be hard for any team to fund in addition to a transfer fee. It may be more realistic if he leaves as a free agent in 2022 but the Ligue 1 champions will be determined to avoid one of football’s biggest stars walking away for nothing.

Haaland would be more affordable in that sense and while his potential transfer fee would be massive in the upcoming market, the likes of City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona have all been linked with the 20-year-old Norway international.

It has been noted that City’s pursuit could be complicated by the involvement of agent Mino Raiola, with whom they have a chequered history, but Haaland’s main representative is believed to be his father Alf-Inge, a former City player, and that is therefore unlikely to present a major issue.

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Players in England show support for Rangers by not taking part in huddles

The rivalry between Rangers and Celtic swung in favour of the blue side of Glasgow at the weekend, with Steven Gerrard’s side clinching the Scottish Premiership title for the first time in 10 years.

The traditional gestures for title-winners tend not to apply to these two sides. Celtic, for example, can point to Rangers refusing to give them a guard of honour in May 2019 when it comes to what they would be willing to do ahead of the game between the sides in two weeks.

 

Fleck stands as Sheffield United huddle (Photo: Laurence Griffiths/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

But it is not just north of the border that the rivalry leads to unlikely gestures — or the refusal to do them. The pre-match huddle has been traditional at Celtic since the 1990s when Tony Mowbray introduced it to demonstrate togetherness. It is heavily associated with the Parkhead club.

That is not the case in England, where a number of teams have a huddle pre-match. Eagle-eyed watchers of the game, though, have spotted a number of players in England avoiding the huddle due to their Rangers links.

John Fleck and Oli McBurnie of Sheffield United both stand rather than bending down to join their team-mates in the huddle ahead of every game. Fleck came through Rangers’ academy, while McBurnie grew up supporting them.

 

Edmundson, on loan from Rangers, stands for Derby (Photo: Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)

In the Championship, Derby’s George Edmundson — on loan from Rangers — also stands for his side’s huddle because of his connection. With the rivalry as strong as ever, do not expect a change in this huddle muddle any time soon.

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Ritchie cleared out Newcastle locker and said goodbye in January

A miserable week for Newcastle United ended with a drab 0-0 draw against West Brom and there was no chance for Matt Ritchie — the player at the centre of their latest controversy — to make headlines for the right reasons after being left as an unused substitute at The Hawthorns.

Even before Ritchie’s training ground altercation with manager Steve Bruce, the 31-year-old’s Magpies future had been uncertain amid Bournemouth’s well-documented attempts to bring their former player back to Dean Court, both last summer and during the most recent transfer window.

 

Ritchie was involved in a bust-up with Steve Bruce (Photo: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)

Despite extending his contract at St James’s Park last March, Ritchie was keen on returning to the south coast — it is where he is from and retains a family home — and The Athletic has learnt that in January, the winger had even emptied his locker and bid farewell to team-mates and staff.

That was how convinced the Scotland international was about the move going through but, after initially being given the green light by Bruce, it was ultimately blocked because Newcastle could not secure a replacement and were unwilling to accept the terms put forward by Bournemouth.

Newcastle’s preference was for Ritchie to depart permanently or on loan with an obligation to buy, whereas the Cherries are thought to have favoured a loan that would turn permanent if they were promoted. That left scope for Ritchie to rejoin his parent club, which would not have suited them.

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England expect to call up Trippier and Bellingham despite COVID-19 restrictions

There are currently no travel concerns for England’s overseas players ahead of the March international break, The Athletic understands.

At present, England are confident Kieran Trippier and Jude Bellingham will be able to join up with them later this month, despite restrictions in certain countries about travel during the pandemic. Fitness permitting, Trippier is set for a recall to Gareth Southgate’s squad and Bellingham will be selected for the senior side or England under-21s.

Any issue would not concern arriving at the England camp but with returning to their clubs. The FA believes that Bellingham’s side Borussia Dortmund, for example, have a regionally-arranged elite sporting exemption in place that would aid this process.

While the situation could change if conditions worsen, as it stands, the FA hopes Trippier and Bellingham should be fine to be part of the set-up. The same rules would have applied to Bellingham’s Dortmund team-mate Jadon Sancho, who is expected to miss England’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Poland and Austria with a muscle injury.

Trippier’s inclusion is anticipated following the expiry of his ban relating to a betting charge.

He was back in the Atletico Madrid line-up for their 1-1 draw with Real Madrid on Sunday after serving a 10-week punishment. The suspension never stood in the way of his England participation because of its timing.

Manager Gareth Southgate likes the 30-year-old, has played him at both right-back and left-back, and also named him as captain for a friendly against Wales last October. It would be a surprise if he were not named in the upcoming squad for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and he has four games for Atletico to prove he’s ready before England get together on March 22.

Despite the case being brought by The FA, it has not affected the regard in which he is held within the England squad.

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Clubs worry international games could lead to Champions League restrictions

The international break presents a headache for Premier League sides as players leave their usual bubbles for the first time this year — and clubs will have a chance to raise their concerns at a meeting on Friday with top-flight bosses and the Football Association.

There is particular worry among those teams competing in the Champions League and Europa League that some squad members may have to miss quarter-final first-leg ties depending on where they have travelled overseas.

Like England, each country around the world currently has its own COVID-19 related entry rules and with only a short turnaround between the final international fixtures on March 31 and European club matches on April 6, 7 and 8, there are fears that certain players might have to be left out of away trips.

 

The upcoming international fixtures are causing concern for some clubs (Photo: Carl Recine – Pool/Getty Images)

The situation has been made more manageable by the suspension of upcoming World Cup qualifiers in South America but UEFA is not planning to follow suit because there are no alternative dates in the calendar to play these games.

The English authorities will seek to offer Premier League teams as much clarity as possible at Friday’s meeting, which takes the form of a question and answer session involving club secretaries and operations staff.

Some teams are thought to be frustrated at the FA and FIFA over a perceived lack of communication on the issue. However, sources believe FIFA may consider showing leniency to those who refuse mandatory call-ups for this international break. 

That said, the world governing body is also aware that there are many players who are keen to play for their national teams and want to ensure these wishes are respected.

FIFA’s view is believed to be that while health is of primary concern, it also has a responsibility to support the decisions players make.

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Clubs ask for Premier League season to be pushed back

Premier League clubs are pushing for a later start date next season. Initial plans would see the 2021-22 campaign begin on the same date as the EFL, on August 7.

Premier League clubs, concerned about the quick turnaround, prefer August 14. The current season doesn’t finish until May 23. Many clubs have players involved with their countries in the rescheduled 2020 European Championships, starting on June 11 and ending on July 11.

An executive of one club tells The Athletic: “People will say the players had three months off last season during the (COVID-19) lockdown but that was cancelled out by a very short summer and intense programme this season. The schedule for the last two years, for reasons out of everyone’s control, has been relentless.”

The lack of clarity over the start date is a further complication for clubs trying to arrange their pre-seasons. It is already proving difficult to plan camps abroad, due to the unpredictability of government travel regulations.

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Former Fulham man Kline fined £25,000 for incorrect allegations

Craig Kline, formerly Fulham’s assistant director of football, was in the news last week after being sued by Martin Glenn, the Football Association’s former chief executive, for libel and harassment, explains Daniel Taylor.

Glenn was awarded £100,000 damages after being the victim of what the judge described as a “long series of publications”, mainly Twitter posts, that accused him of corruption and covering up child sexual abuse.

The Athletic’s information is that Fulham have also taken legal action against Kline, an American data expert, after he made a number of other damaging allegations, having left Craven Cottage in acrimonious circumstances towards the end of 2017.

Similar to the Glenn case, Kline’s online allegations led to an FA investigation that found no wrongdoing. And again, it did not end well for Kline. Fulham felt strongly enough to take him to court relating to 49 breaches — 42 admitted, seven proven — of an earlier ruling forbidding him to make “any derogatory or critical comments or statements” about the club. Kline, now understood to be living in Gibraltar, was ordered to pay £25,000 for contempt of court.

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Derby want EFL to speak out about knee

Derby County decided to stop taking a knee for the rest of the season after a meeting was held between senior staff and players, explains Ryan Conway.

The Athletic revealed that the club and players felt that the message was being lost and they could do more behind the scenes to combat racism in light of abuse aimed at some of their players. Some senior Derby figures also felt some teams were being too casual with taking a knee, with subs from opposing teams still warming up when the protest was happening.

They also want the EFL to give more clarity and guidance over the summer with perhaps a press conference in which they answer questions about their stance on it and other issues around racism in the game.

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European football's dirty protest in administrative form    The stars are aligning for Big Cup nonsense. Photograph: Estela Silva/EPA Scott Murray EUROPEAN HUSTLE It’s long been established that football fans can’t have nice things. Not allowed. Take our league, which used to have logical divisions like First, Second, Third and Fourth, but now makes even less sense than a marketing executive seven hours into an evening on the chop. Clubs like Ipswich, Watford, Southampton and QPR could launch genuine title challenges and nobody would bat an eyelid. Every season was a different world, played on fresh terrain. Now the same clique dine at the top table year in, year out, to the point that a poor title defence, pretty much par for the course back in the day, becomes a jaw-dropping break from the norm, a strange object of wonder to be mocked by a generation of compliant rubes. The Man jiggered Big Cup as well, of course. There’s a competition that could be won by Steaua Bucharest, Red Star Belgrade, Nottingham Forest or the Queen’s Celtic, but now is a similarly repetitive grind featuring the usual suspects, a firm that even petroclubs struggle to break into. You’d think The Man would be satisfied with his work, but it’s never enough for these people, and now it looks like plans to double-bloat Big Cup are in the pipeline and set to spray across the continent before the end of the month, a dirty protest in administrative form. Andrea Agnelli says agreement on 'ideal' new-look Champions League is close Read more The idea is the brainchild of Edwin van der Sar, chief suit of Ajax, a club that once melded seemingly incompatible concepts of collective responsibility and individualism to create something beautiful, but are now doing this. Across countries where Johan Cruyff once glided with balletic grace, his descendants clod-hop in dirty boots. The scheme, submitted under the auspices of the European Club Association, will see the group stage of Big Cup become a convoluted 36-club mega-league that necessitates each team playing 10 games against opponents decided by wildcards and coefficients, and there may be the need for some two-legged play-offs as well. All this before Christmas. It’s a work of no little genius, because the more you read it back, the less sense it makes every time. The motivation for this preposterous hustle is to end talk of a European Super League, another thing nobody has ever asked for, Uefa general secretary Giorgio Marchetti bloviating: “Unity can be lost when insidious ideas are pursued under the pretence of survival, growth and business needs.” All this will have the knock-on effect of further damaging the domestic leagues, required to shrink to make room for the extra fixtures, and may also feature “a double-path transfer system” where clubs can’t buy each other’s players depending on which tier they’ve been allocated. The grift is on, people, though we’ve known that for decades. LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE! Join Scott Murray from 8pm for hot MBM coverage of Juventus 2-0 Porto (agg: 3-2) in Big Cup, while Simon Burnton will be on hand for Dortmund 2-1 Sevilla (agg: 5-3). QUOTE OF THE DAY “We will score 18 – 18-0, this will be the result. What a question! [Southampton conceded] nine when they played 88 minutes 10 against 11. Do you think this is a joke? We are going to score nine goals or 18? Be serious. We are just trying to win the game” – Pep Guardiola reaches peak exasperation after being asked if he expects a goal-fest against Southampton. RECOMMENDED LOOKING It’s David Squires on … Mole! Steve Bruce’s hunt for the Newcastle leaker. Yeah, it’s good.  Steve Bruce investigates. Illustration: David Squires/The Guardian RECOMMENDED LISTENING It’s Max Rushden and the pod squad with a look back at the Madrid derby, Der Klassiker and what next for Barça now they have a new but not new chief suit. FIVER LETTERS “Re: yesterday’s Fiver letter from ‘NE’ bemoaning The Fiver flogging an unfunny joke beyond death. I can only assume they are a recent subscriber. Some of us have been waiting more than 20 years for some punchlines” – Darren Leathley (and 1,056 others). “The nice thing is that the letter shows you are inexplicably managing to attract new readers. Through some malady of low self-esteem, I have been reading since the beginning, but I appreciate the kids are the future, etc and so on” – Tom Schumacher. “José Mourinho (Psy.D) reckons the work he has done on Gareth Bale’s mind has made him good at football again (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs). Mourinho is clearly a follower of Seligman’s learned helplessness model, itself the inspiration for black ops interrogation and ‘persuasion’ techniques. ‘Yes, yes we break the psychological barrier!’” – Paul S Benveniste, Ph.D. “While it’s great to see you launching a ‘BAN BANNER B@NTER’ campaign (yesterday’s Fiver), may I respectfully ask that you begin in earnest after this weekend’s fixtures. The reason is I’m planning to honour my favourite Sheffield Wednesday player with an airborne message over Hillsborough on Sunday and I really wouldn’t want you to BAN BARRY BANNAN BANNER B@NTER” – Tony Crawford. Send your letters to [email protected]. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our letter o’the day is … Tony Crawford, who wins a copy of From the Jaws of Victory. We’ve one more to give away [UK only, apologies – Fiver Postal Ed], and you can also enter promo code FIVER and get 15% off and free shipping. NEWS, BITS AND BOBS Germany will have to find a new boss who wears a roll-neck jumper as well as Jogi Löw does, after the floppy-haired 61-year-old announced he will take his catalogue stylings elsewhere after Euro Not 2020. ”I take this step very consciously, full of pride and enormous gratitude,” he sniffed after 15 years in the job.  Even bringing big looks to a pandemic. Photograph: Ronald Wittek/EPA Interim England manager Hege Riise is to be named as head coach of Team GB this week for Big Sports Day in Tokyo. Neymar’s lingering thigh-knack has ruled him out of PSG’s 4-0 Big Cup defeat (agg: 4-5) by Barcelona on Wednesday. An Oldham fans’ group have accused the owners of “destroying the legacy” of the club after Harry Kewell became the seventh manager to be sacked since the 2018 takeover. Keith Curle has replaced Kewell in the ejector seat. Aberdeen have mutually consented Derek McInnes through the door marked Do One after eight years at Pittodrie. Chelsea boss Tommy T is chuffed with Kai Havertz’s ghostly qualities as a false nine, having spooked Everton throughout their 2-0 win. “He showed up between the lines and used his potential to accelerate,” cooed Tommy. “Today he was excellent.” And was David Moyes happy with Big Cup-chasing West Ham’s 2-0 win over Leeds? “The players are really disappointed with how they played,” he sighed. “We didn’t reach the standard we’ve set this season.” STILL WANT MORE? Is Wayne Rooney made to measure as a manager? Jamie Jackson speaks to Sven-Göran Eriksson and others to find out if the Derby boss will go the distance. Boyhood coaching fan Robbie Keane on his desire to be a top, top coach.  Your Robbie Keane composite. Composite: Getty Images; Sportsfile via Getty Images; Reuters Tommy T’s transformation of Chelsea is rooted in a rejigged defence, reckons Jacob Steinberg. Leipzig’s rampant full-back Angeliño gets his chat on with Jonathan Liew. Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO! HULK SHRUG!

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[Vesper 28,767]

2020-21 English Premier League

Manchester City              
Southampton                  

http://www.sportnews.to/mysports/2021/premier-league-manchester-city-vs-southampton-s3/

https://www.totalsportek.com/page-3/

[Vesper 28,767]

6 hours ago, Jason said:

 

Woodward is still a loser cunt, just like Ole at the wheel

[Atomiswave 6,072]

3 minutes ago, Vesper said:

Woodward is still a loser cunt, just like Ole at the wheel

I wouldnt mind if they both stayed at that cesspool of a club

[Atomiswave 6,072]

Pep cant fuck off soon enough, sick of them and their corrupt shady shit they have pulled off, yet the media cant wait to wank everytime they are mentioned.

[Vesper 28,767]

5 2 Citeh

great game

[Vesper 28,767]

17 minutes ago, Atomiswave said:

Pep cant fuck off soon enough, sick of them and their corrupt shady shit they have pulled off, yet the media cant wait to wank everytime they are mentioned.

other than that dodgy shit with CAS, I have no issues with City

[Atomiswave 6,072]

15 minutes ago, Vesper said:

other than that dodgy shit with CAS, I have no issues with City

Thats enough in it self Vesper, nevermind they can spend what they want. Lets see what they will conjure up this summer.

[Fulham Broadway 16,829]

1 minute ago, Atomiswave said:

Thats enough in it self Vesper, nevermind they can spend what they want. Lets see what they will conjure up this summer.

At least Guardiola was honest when recently asked the secret of their success ''money''. 

[Atomiswave 6,072]

8 minutes ago, Fulham Broadway said:

At least Guardiola was honest when recently asked the secret of their success ''money''. 

Yup, people thought he was joking but looks like he meant it, I can respect that.

[NikkiCFC 7,942]

Not releted to this thread but I'm curious about this. I noticed we have fans here from all big European countries with best clubs except Spain. Was always like this? Any particular reason? 

[ZAPHOD2319 4,476]

10 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

Not releted to this thread but I'm curious about this. I noticed we have fans here from all big European countries with best clubs except Spain. Was always like this? Any particular reason? 

Language barrier? I'm sure there are plenty of fluent English speakers in Spain, but perhaps they prefer talking football in their native language. 

[Fulham Broadway 16,829]

29 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

Not releted to this thread but I'm curious about this. I noticed we have fans here from all big European countries with best clubs except Spain. Was always like this? Any particular reason? 

We had couple when we signed Fernando the Wonderhorse but they cleared off. Bit like the Belgians did when Hazard thought Madrid was a good idea

[Vesper 28,767]

The future of Big Cup, and England's exceptionalist officiating    Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy there, not fouling Phil Foden. Photograph: Clive Brunskill/PA Paul Doyle  @Paul_Doyle A MESSI BUSINESS It has been a momentous week in European football, with the eliminations of Juventus and Barcelona meaning that the Big Cup quarter-finals will take place without either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi for the first time in 16 years, which, coincidentally, is the average lifespan of carefully maintained goats. The duo did not dominate immediately, of course, for back in 2005 Luis García was the undisputed king. But their rises had certainly begun and they have reigned supreme since then, give or take the odd 8-2 Müllering, and a few international no-shows by one of Argentina’s finest. Ronaldo and Messi have been ushered through the Gate Marked Also-Rans as the players set to replace them in the affections of YouTube editors worldwide shone again. Erling Braut Haaland did the business for Dortmund while Messi was relegated to a sideshow by Kylian Mbappé’s PSG and Ousmane Dembélé’s bracing exhibition of terrible finishes. Trooper that he is, Messi fought defiantly to retain top billing, outdoing his teammates’ misses by botching a penalty. At that stage, Barça still had qualification if not within their sights, then at least detectable by the sort of high-powered technology English officials are deploying with thrilling randomness. Messi's penalty miss helps PSG sail through against Barcelona Read more Yes, all this week’s talk of changing of the guards and the beginning and ending of eras presumably referred to the most compelling evidence yet of the alarming expansion of England’s exceptionalist officiating. First, Stockley Park boffins deployed state-of-the-art cameras to not see Phil Foden being tripped in the Premier League in an incident that Pep Guardiola described, pointedly in slow motion, as “IN-CRED-I-BLE, IN…. CRED… I …. BLE”. Then, a team of elite English sticklers in Paris used similar equipment to award PSG a penalty that no one reasonably asked for after Clément Lenglet didn’t jump out of the way of Mauro Icardi, in an incident that might as well have happened at Sydney Opera House given how much it actually affected events at the Parc des Princes. Mbappé converted the penalty, and then the same officials failed to spot Marco Verratti encroaching when Messi goofed from the spot a few minutes later. Farewell, Messi and Ronaldo? There’s really no telling what the future holds. LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE Big Vase ahoy! Join Paul Doyle as he kicks off our clockwatch with Manchester United 2-1 Milan and Slavia Prague 1-2 Rangers (both 5.55pm GMT), before Ben Fisher takes the reins for Olympiakos 1-2 Arsenal and Tottenham 3-0 Dinamo Zagreb. Phew! QUOTE OF THE DAY “I thought it was quite tame really, it was a grey padded blazer. I was expecting more about the result we just got and how well we played. Then [the press officer] hit me with my jacket’s been getting a little bit of grief. It’ll be on again and it’ll stay on if we get positive results. Whatever I wear is a reflection of the football club and the team and that’s it” – Fulham’s Scott Parker on that jacket, which caused a stir at Anfield.  Scott Parker offers mixed reviews for Jürgen Klopp’s rig. Photograph: Matt West/BPI/Shutterstock RECOMMENDED LISTENING Football Weekly is here! Join Max, Barry, Jonathan Liew and Mark Langdon for all the latest Big Cup chat. FIVER LETTERS “It was interesting to see José Mourinho say of Daniel Levy, who is just about to celebrate 20 years in charge of Spurs that ‘it would be nice for him to celebrate my 1,000 official matches winning a trophy for Tottenham’. Apropos of nothing, according to a piece in the New Yorker, the main trait of narcissists is grandiosity. They exaggerate their achievements and what they are certain will be their future triumphs, believe they are special, can be understood only by special people and cannot take criticism, Everything is about them, even other people’s success, and an opportunity to brag about yourself. Just a thought” – Noble Francis. “Enough! Please resurrect STOP FOOTBALL now! I (and 1,056 others?) are now totally reliant on The Fiver to have the fortitude to do this [uh oh – Fiver Ed], lest we all die of boredom. Oh for the days of very infrequent live football on the telly, untainted by the dreadful ‘punditry’ drivel endlessly pumped out by massively overpaid has-beens currently employed for our ‘viewing enjoyment’” – David Pugh (and no others – yet). “Liverpool 2-0 Leipzig. I’m so relieved that the Reds are scoring goals at home again!” – Peter Oh. 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 … David Pugh. No more prizes this week, but readers can still get 15% off From The Jaws of Victory (and free UK shipping) with the promo code FIVER. NEWS, BITS AND BOBS Middlesbrough have condemned “vile and unacceptable” racist abuse directed at Yannick Bolasie on social media, while Bournemouth have also spoken out after Arnaut Danjuma received abuse. “This has to stop,” a club statement said. Quite. The former Milan CEO, Adriano Galliani, has been admitted to hospital following complications from Covid-19. Serie B side Monza, where Galliani is now a director, confirmed the news but added it was purely a precautionary measure. Manchester City have swept Fiorentina aside in Women’s Big Cup, winning 5-0 in Florence to complete an 8-0 aggregate win and join Chelsea in the quarter-finals.  Manchester City Women march on. Photograph: Quality Sport Images/Getty Images A protest in Buenos Aires, led by Diego Maradona’s ex-wife and two of his daughters, has called for “justice” amid an ongoing investigation into his death in November. The Livingston manager, David Martindale, has said only lockdown prevented Rangers fans’ title celebrations getting further out of hand. “I thought to myself, ‘thank God we’re in lockdown’. Can you imagine if we weren’t?” Martindale said. “Everyone knows my background and the fact I’ve been to prison. The amount of people who are in prison as a result of Rangers and Celtic games, it’s incredible.” Newcastle are in deep relegation trouble and Bernard Cribbins has said “the buck stops with me”, before swiftly attempting to move the buck on. “We were going along very, very nicely until Covid hit, and then the injuries to our big players has been a real, big problem to handle. I don’t think people want to use that as an excuse.” Trip the Goat and he will fall: Shaun Goater thinks the Phil Foden incident will encourage players to go down in the area. “If I’m a player watching that today I’m making sure that I’m going down,” Goater fumed. “Why stay on my feet now?” And VAR has an unlikely advocate in Diego Simeone. “I still believe that VAR has improved football and made decisions more just,” the Atlético Madrid manager gesticulated. “There are people who work every day to improve it.” STILL WANT MORE? It was in November 2002 that Jeff Astle’s death was recorded as “death by industrial disease” so why is the belated inquiry into concussion so woefully under-resourced? Andy Bull reports. Is Zoran Mamic Dinamo Zagreb’s master coach, a criminal – or both? Alex Holiga on the Croatian club taking on Spurs in Big Vase. North London derby classics, Soccerball genius from Roberto Cabañas and that Paulo Otávio tackle in this week’s Classic YouTube.  Not so fast! Photograph: Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images Big Jürg played Fabinho in midfield and Liverpool looked loads better. Well, that was obvious, says Jonathan Liew. How exactly did ‘Dundee United’ become an insult in Nigeria? Liam Kirkaldy tells the tale, and it’s a corker. Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO! FROM THE PEN OF J.D. MacGREGOR

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Chris Wilder will apparently be gone from Sheffield United today...just before we play them in the cup next weekend.