The English Football Thread

[YorkshireBlue 3,264]

Fucking disgusting 

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Liverpool parade car crash live updates: Latest from the scene

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/city-centre-live-updates-emergency-31727936

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A day in the life of Brentford manager Thomas Frank 🐝

 

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Paul Mitchell leaves role as Newcastle United sporting director

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5756366/2025/05/27/newcastle-paul-mitchell-leaves/

Paul Mitchell has left his position as Newcastle United’s sporting director after less than 12 months in the role.

Mitchell was appointed Newcastle’s new sporting director in July of last year, ending the club’s four-month search for Dan Ashworth’s successor.

He will now depart with the club’s CEO Darren Eales, who had previously recruited Mitchell to Tottenham Hotspur in 2014, stepping down in the near future due to health reasons.

Mitchell leaves with the full respect of the hierarchy, technical team, coaching staff and players. His exit is not expected to impact the summer’s transfer business with the club having already identified clear targets during meetings over a number of months.

Mitchell said: “I’d like to thank everyone at Newcastle United for their support over the last year, including Eddie Howe, Becky Langley, the players, staff, owners and fans. It has been an honour to be part of the club and to work with some incredible people.

“I’m leaving at a time that is right for me and the club, particularly with Darren Eales — someone who I have worked so closely with in my career — moving on soon.

“The club is in great hands on and off the pitch, and is in a fantastic position to continue building. I’d like to wish everyone connected with Newcastle United a bright and successful future.”

In his early months at the club, Mitchell defended Newcastle’s lack of business during a summer window last year that Alan Shearer, Newcastle’s record goalscorer, described as “embarrassing”.

The Tyneside club did not add any additions to Eddie Howe’s first-team squad having failed with bids to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi and Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga.

Mitchell joined Newcastle with a wealth of experience in scouting and recruitment, having worked at Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, RB Leipzig, and Monaco.

However, despite being able to keep hold of integral players like Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak, his first summer with the club was far from a success with Newcastle’s difficulties in the transfer window being highlighted by their failure to sign Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.

Following Newcastle’s difficult summer transfer window, Mitchell sat down with reporters at St James’ Park and fronted up and discussed the club’s failure to improve their first XI, his relationship with manager Eddie Howe and those links to the England job, as well as the club’s overall recruitment strategy.

There was no one-word response or short reply when it was put to him that the transfer window was a “failure”.

“There are things we got wrong in our strategy, for sure,” Mitchell said. “If we could have signed a player that we actively felt could make a really good squad better, would we? Of course, we would have done.”

Despite the lack of additions Newcastle went on to qualify for the Champions League, securing their place in next year’s competition despite defeat by Everton on the final day of the Premier League season.

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‘Shock for Newcastle before significant summer window’

Analysis from Jacob Whitehead

This is a shock for Newcastle United, especially ahead of a significant summer of recruitment as the club look to retool for the Champions League.

Mitchell only arrived last summer, with head coach Eddie Howe immediately feeling undermined after being sidelined during the recruitment process. The new hire also clumsily questioned whether the club’s recruitment was “fit for purpose in the modern game” in September — causing tensions to resurface.

But despite this poor start, the pair had appeared to develop an operable working relationship, which makes the timing of this departure, by mutual consent, so surprising.

Newcastle sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, insist that recruitment will not be affected, with clear targets already identified in meetings, but Mitchell is a key negotiator and decision-maker.

Following Dan Ashworth’s departure in February 2024, this will be the fourth consecutive summer window in which a different figure is leading Newcastle’s summer strategy.

There is continuity within that department — such as head of recruitment Steve Nickson and his assistant Andy Howe — who will shoulder much of the load until a new appointment is made. Mitchell will support them until the end of June.

[Fulham Broadway 17,299]

A former Royal Marine has been charged following the Liverpool parade crash in which 79 people were injured.

 

Doyle has been charged with seven offences, which can be broken down into four groups.

The first includes two counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) – one of these is an alleged offence against one child.

The second is two counts of causing unlawful and malicious GBH with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

According to the Sentencing Council, it relates to the nature of the injury allegedly caused.

GBH does not require an open wound to have been suffered. Wounding requires the victim's skin to have been broken.

Mr Doyle also faces two charges of attempted unlawful and malicious GBH with intent to cause GBH, and again one of these alleged offences relates to a child.

The final count is dangerous driving.

Police confirmed the ages of those injured in the incident ranged from nine to 78.

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West Ham fined £120,000 after homophobic chanting against Chelsea

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6392858/2025/05/30/west-ham-Chelsea-homophobic-chanting/

West Ham United have been fined £120,000 ($161,830) after supporters engaged in homophobic chanting during February’s Premier League fixture against Chelsea.

An independent regulatory commission imposed the fine, an action plan and formal warning on the Premier League club for misconduct after it was alleged they “failed to ensure its spectators did not behave in an improper, offensive, abusive, indecent or insulting way with either an express or implied reference to sexual orientation”.

The Football Association (FA) received complaints from anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out following the fixture at Stamford Bridge on February 3 and charged West Ham on March 27 after it was alleged supporters engaged in the “Chelsea rent boy” chant in the 62nd minute of the top-flight match.

West Ham admitted to the charge on March 28, a written reasons document for the case states.

An investigation into the incident suggested a “very significant number” of supporters in the West Ham section had been involved in the “plainly discriminatory and highly derogatory” chanting, therefore categorising it as “mass chanting”. It continued for around 40 seconds.

The commission stated West Ham had not identified any of the perpetrators inside the stadium and added there was no evidence to suggest the club had made efforts during or after the game to do so.

A West Ham statement read: “Homophobic chanting, which in this case amounted to the commission of a criminal offence, is not consistent with the values and beliefs of West Ham United and the vast majority of the club’s supporters. The club has a zero-tolerance policy towards discriminatory, abusive and insulting behaviour, and those identified will, in addition to any criminal charges they face, be issued with club bans.”

West Ham were accused of having a “very significant lack of adequate specific pre-match planning” for the Chelsea fixture, which the commission stated contributed to the club being unable to identify and impose sanctions on those responsible.

Club personnel deployed in the away end were also accused of failing to detect the homophobic chanting. West Ham said staff did not receive complaints regarding the chanting during or after the game.

The West Ham statement continued: “The club has already set in motion tangible actions to review and strengthen existing initiatives to continue to be strategic and proactive in the prevention and detection of any potential discriminatory or inappropriate words or behaviour in the future, at both home and away fixtures.”

In January 2023, the FA added the “Chelsea rent boy” chant to its list of rule breaches and says it can pursue action against clubs whose supporters use it at matches. In 2022, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed that it considered the term a homophobic slur and therefore a hate crime.

Luton Town were also fined £120,000 after directing the chant towards former Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour during their Premier League fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion in August 2023.

[KEVINAA 129]

 

 

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Breaking

Ange Postecoglou sacked: Tottenham axe head coach despite winning Europa League

Tottenham sack head coach Ange Postecoglou despite winning Europa League; dismissal comes after Postecoglou presided over the club's worst-ever Premier League campaign as they finished 17th; Sky Sports News understands Brentford boss Thomas Frank is the leading contender to succeed him

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11675/13350400/ange-postecoglou-sacked-tottenham-axe-head-coach-despite-winning-europa-league

[Fulham Broadway 17,299]

oh no, he was doing so well 😁

[Pizy 18,848]

Not concerned about Spuds at all as a threat to the top clubs if they appoint Thomas Frank. But if they get Marco Silva I think he can genuinely build them into a respectable side within a a couple of transfer windows. Not top 4 good, but good enough to be annoying to play against like in their prime Poch days.

[Strike 7,474]

It is the right call from Spurs though

[Special Juan 28,089]

They would have sacked him two games into the new season anyway, it will cost them about 20M to sack Ange and get Frank