Новости за 02.04.2019

Swansea ended a run of four games without a win as a first-half brace from Nathan Dyer helped Graham Potters men seal a 3-0 Championship victory over a poor Brentford side. Dyer opened the scoring with less than a minute played and then added a second for his first league goals for Swansea since August 2014.Brentford offered nothing as an attacking force in the opening 45 minutes and, although they improved after the break, they were well beaten.Daniel James added Swanseas third with the goal his outstanding performance deserved. Читать дальше...

Bristol City moved into the Sky Bet Championship play-off places as Adam Websters first-half header secured a 1-0 win at out-of-form Middlesbrough.Having beaten Sheffield United on Saturday, Lee Johnsons side saw off another of their promotion rivals as they leapfrogged Derby and Aston Villa to move into the top six.Middlesbrough had plenty of opportunities, but Jonny Howson and Britt Assombalonga both hit the frame of the goal on another frustrating night for the hosts.Boro have now suffered five defeats in a row... Читать дальше...

Marco Silva has received a boost from Everton director of football Marcel Brands after the Dutchman pledged to give the manager time to develop his plans.Saturdays win at West Ham was only the third time the Toffees have recorded back-to-back Premier League victories under Silva, who took charge in the summer.That has eased the pressure on the manager and Brands comments should give the Portuguese more breathing space as Everton try to catch seventh-placed Wolves.Asked about his strategy for the club Brands... Читать дальше...

Jose Mourinho claims he risked the sack at Manchester United if he mishandled star midfielder Paul Pogba.In a thinly-veiled swipe at a player he labelled His Excellency the Portuguese suggested he would have been sent on vacation had he come down hard on the France midfielder.Mourinho, speaking at a coaching seminar in Portugal, recalled a story which he felt epitomised his relationship with Pogba whom he did not identify by name when after a match at Burnley in September the player left Turf Moor... Читать дальше...

Great goals aren’t just about the purity of a strike, the quality of the team work or the virtuosity of an individual. They’re often about a stage and a significance. They have meaning and beauty. There can be a symbolism.Barcelona figured prominently in Paul Scholes’s career long before April 29, 2008. He was defined by his absence; a suspended, suited spectator when Manchester United won the Champions League at the Camp Nou in 1999. As the years ticked by, it felt ever likelier that he and Roy... Читать дальше...

Women’s football may be taking enormous strides in terms of popularity and finances – but even the highest paid female footballers are far behind their male counterparts when it comes to wages.The top five highest paid women footballers has been revealed by France Football magazine – along with male footballers and managers – and the list reveals how large the pay gap still remains.Ada Hederberg, holder of the Women’s Ballon d’Or, tops the list with an annual income of around £343,000. Lionel Messi... Читать дальше...

The threat of expulsion still hangs over Coventry as the English Football League awaits confirmation of where the club will play home matches next season.An update is due on April 11 and it is hoped a suitable option will be forthcoming ahead of an extraordinary general meeting a fortnight later which will consider expelling the Sky Blues from the league.Coventrys tenancy at the Ricoh Arena expires in the summer and they have a long-running dispute over rent and other issues with Premiership rugby club Wasps... Читать дальше...

Jose Mourinho has set his sights on domestic glory in a fifth different country and left the door open to an approach from the Bundesliga.The 56-year-old has been out of work since he was sacked by Manchester United in December and revealed he has turned down as many as four job offers since leaving Old Trafford.Mourinho claimed league titles in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain during stints with Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid respectively and is a two-time Champions League winner.Ligue... Читать дальше...

The highest paid football managers in the world have been revealed by France Football magazine – and the results are a little surprising.Two of the top five – Jose Mourinho and Thierry Henry – are currently out of work.Mourinho was sacked by Manchester United in December, but received an enormous £19.6 million payout as part of the severance package. He, at least, has an impressive record in the dugout, having won two Champions Leagues and eight league titles.Henry lasted just three months in his... Читать дальше...

Rangers winger Ryan Kent faces a two-match ban after being cited for lashing out at Celtic captain Scott Brown.The Scottish Football Association issued a notice of complaint to the on-loan Liverpool player accusing him of committing a red-card offence in Sundays derby match, which finished 2-1 for Celtic.Kent knocked Brown to the ground with a clenched fist in the wake of James Forrests winning goal. Referee Bobby Madden and his fellow match officials appeared to miss the incident.Kent and his club... Читать дальше...

Zinedine Zidane refused to be drawn on his plans for an overhaul of the Real Madrid squad but admits there will be no doubt over the goalkeeping situation next season.On his return to the Bernabeu, Zidane restored his previous number one Keylor Navas to the side, immediately leading to questions about 35million summer signing Thibaut Courtois.With Courtois injured, the Real coach handed his son Luca Zidane a start for Sundays 3-2 win over Huesca.It depends on the goalkeepers that will be here next year... Читать дальше...

The top-paid players in the world in 2019 have been revealed by France Football magazine.The new list sees the return of that longstanding Leo Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry, with the two unsurprisingly taking up the top two spots on this list.Ronaldo, who secured a lucrative move to Juventus last year, now has an annual income of around £97 million – but even that's eclipsed by the £112 million Messi rakes in each year.Both players have been handed hefty fines for tax evasion in the last couple of years... Читать дальше...

Port Vale have entered into a confidentiality agreement with a prospective buyer of the struggling League Two club and their ground.The club, who were initially put up for sale in 2016 by owner Norman Smurthwaite, issued a short statement confirming the development.The statement read: Port Vale Football Club would like to confirm that they have reached a significant point in the process of finding a buyer.The Club has entered into a Confidentiality and Exclusivity agreement with Carol and Kevin Shanahan... Читать дальше...

Callum McGregor has backed Scott Brown and claimedthe Celtic skipper was basically assaulted twice during the 2-1 win over Rangers on Sunday.Gers striker Alfredo Morelos was sent off in the first half for the fifth time this season one red card was subsequently downgraded for throwing an elbow at the Hoops captain after he appeared to clip the Colombians heel.Later in the match Ibrox forward Ryan Kent knocked the midfielder to the ground, for which he was handed a disciplinary charge on Tuesday afternoon... Читать дальше...

Dundee defender James Horsfield claims their biggest motivation to get off the bottom of the Ladbrokes Premiership on Wednesday is to repay their fans.A 1,600-strong travelling support witnessed Dundee slump to the foot of the table after a 2-1 defeat by relegation rivals St Mirren in Paisley on Saturday.They face a shorter trip to Perth for a Tayside derby against St Johnstone on Wednesday and Horsfield wants to give them a lot more to shout about following five consecutive defeats.When asked about the mood in the dressing room... Читать дальше...

Arsenal will watch Cagliari’s Nicolo Barella in action on Wednesday night as they step up their efforts to sign the playmaker.Barella is enjoying a fine season in Serie A, leading to his October call-up for Italy. Since then he has won five caps and scored in the most recent international break against Finland.Gazzetta dello Sport’s Nicolo Schira has reported that the Gunners are keen on the 22-year-old, who is aware of the Premier League club’s interest. The lively midfielder may be seen as a potential... Читать дальше...

As one of only six teams that have played in every single Premier League season, Manchester United and their players have racked up the matches in England's top flight since 1992/93.We're fairly certain that one Welsh winger in parictular is still writing his own name on teamsheets in 2018/19,having featured in an incredible 632 of these matches for the Red Devils – and that's not even counting the ones he played in before football was invented. A fairly easy answer below, we imagine, but it gets... Читать дальше...

Gary Holt insists his Livingston side will achieve an unbelievable achievement they defeat Hamilton to assure their Ladbrokes Premiership status for next season.Tipped as relegation favourites prior to the campaign, the Lions have continually upset the odds and have never looked in danger of being dragged into a dogfight.A victory on Wednesday would see them break the 40-point barrier and open up an insurmountable gap between themselves and 11th place given St Mirren and Hamilton are still to face... Читать дальше...

Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk took part in training on Tuesday, easing worries over his fitness ahead of the clash with his old club Southampton.Van Dijk appeared to suffer a knock in the latter stages of Sundays dramatic 2-1 win over Tottenham at Anfield and was to be assessed.Is there anything @VirgilvDijk can't do pic.twitter.com/2VGpn1eaRt Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 2, 2019Reds boss Klopp said after the game: I dont know if he twisted it or it was a knock, but he was walking into interviews with a big ice pack. Читать дальше...

Frenkie de Jong has told FourFourTwo that he was tempted to join Tottenham last summer, but felt he owed Ajax another season of his services.The 21-year-old, who has won seven caps for the Netherlands, will join Barcelona in July, and will hope to do so after lifting a first Eredivisie title with Ajax.The Amsterdammers trail PSV Eindhoven by two points in the table, and title glory this term will vindicate the midfielder’s decision to remain at the Johan Cruyff Arena for 2018/19, after being courted... Читать дальше...

You don’t choose which football team to support. It chooses you. It's often the result of your place of birth or family allegiance, and an intrinsic part of who you are. That’s why supporting more than one team is anathema to so many people. But what do you do if that identity gives you more than one choice?Such ambiguity is particularly problematic at the national level, where the dilemma faced by dual-nationals often goes unappreciated. Declan Rice was criticised for his decision to switch from representing the Republic of Ireland to England.

Mihai Popescu has revealed he wants to stay at St Mirren.The 25-year-old defender signed on a six-month loan deal from Dinamo Bucharest in January and the Buddies have an option to buy the Romanian at the end of the season.Popescu has become a key member of Oran Kearneys side, who escaped the basement of the Ladbrokes Premiershipon Saturday with a 2-1 home win over fellow strugglers Dundee.Ahead of the visit of league leaders Celtic on Wednesday night, he said: Im on loan here for six months and St Mirren have an opportunity to buy me... Читать дальше...

An independent charity that supports football referees at every stage of the game has accused Cardiff manager Neil Warnock of desensitising the abuse and assault of grassroots referees with his repeated criticism of match officials.Warnock was incensed by several decisions during Cardiffs 2-1 home defeat by Chelsea on Sunday, most notably Blues defender Cesar Azpilicuetas equaliser from an offside position.Speaking after the match, Warnock said the Premier League was the best in the world but had... Читать дальше...

Philippe Coutinho may not have been able to reproduce his Liverpool form since his move to Barcelona a year ago, but that isn’t preventing a number of top clubs from chasing his signature.Reports from Sport and AS in Spain suggest that Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United are all chasing the Brazil star, who Barça are looking to offload in the summer.Chelsea are appealing against a UEFA-imposed transfer ban that would see them unable to buy any new players at the end of the season. Should that ban be overturned or delayed... Читать дальше...

Romelu Lukaku feels England should have walked off the pitch to make a statement amid racist abuse in last weeks win in Montenegro.The Euro 2020 qualifier in Podgorica saw some Three Lions players subjected to racist chanting by Montenegro fans.Raheem Sterling reacted to scoring the visitors final goal in a 5-1 victory by putting his hands to his ears in front of home supporters as a sign of defiance to what he later called racists on social media.Lukaku has said of racism in football: I hope we can fix it. Читать дальше...