Chelsea have hired the All Blacks mind coach who introduced a no d***heads policy as Graham Potter looks to turn the Blues into winners.
Heavy investment in players since Todd Boehly came in as owner has not yet been followed by success on the pitch, with Chelsea a disappointing ninth in the Premier League.
Thomas Tuchel was sacked in September and his replacement, Potter, is battling to prove he can be the coach to deliver strong results and trophies to Stamford Bridge.
Now Gilbert Enoka is heading to the London club after making an impressive impact in rugby union with New Zealand over the past 20 years.
Enoka, who stepped up from being mental skills coach to become leadership manager with New Zealand, will join up with Chelsea on what New Zealand said …
Erik ten Hag bemoaned a lack of consistency in refereeing decisions after he was left frustrated by the performance of Anthony Taylor in Manchester United s draw with Southampton on Sunday.
United could only scrape a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford after Casemiro was shown a straight red card in the first half – the Brazilian given his marching orders for a tough challenge on Carlos Alcaraz.
Taylor initially showed Casemiro a yellow card, but it was upgraded to a red following a VAR review, leaving the United midfielder clearly despondent after replays showed he won the ball before catching Alcaraz.
It means Casemiro is the first United player to receive two red cards in a single Premier League season since Nemanja Vidic in 2013-14, and he will serve a ban of four mat…
Rule out Italy at your peril, warned Daniel De Rossi ahead of the upcoming Euro 2016 in France.
The Roma great admitted that Italy are nowhere near favourites to take out the showpiece European tournament which features home nation France, world champions Germany and the ever-present threat of two-time defending winners Spain, but De Rossi said his team still have the potential to surprise everyone.
The 2012 Euros runners-ups face a tough group consisting of Belgium, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland, but De Rossi said the influence of Antonio Conte a serial winner as Juventus coach before taking on the Italy job could prove a telling factor.
He strikes the right chord, he knows how to motivate you, he told reporters.
We don t start as favourites and w…
Bukayo Saka’s hat-trick against North Macedonia was the 12th this century by an England men’s player.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the other 11, scored by just six players.
Michael Owen (v Germany, September 2001)
Owen’s first international hat-trick came in the famous 5-1 World Cup qualifying win at the Olympic Stadium in Munich which has entered the annals of England folklore, benefitting from knockdowns from Nick Barmby and Emile Heskey before lashing a Steven Gerrard pass past Oliver Kahn.
Michael Owen (v Colombia, May 2005)
Owen’s second and final treble came in the less-heralded surroundings of a 3-2 friendly win in Giants Stadium, New Jersey, at the end of a criticised post-season tour to the United States, going past Sir Tom Finney, …
Liverpool return to the Premier League’s Saturday lunchtime kick-off time when they take on Brentford this weekend.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has been a long-time critic of the slot and here, the PA news agency looks at Liverpool’s record in early kick-offs under Klopp.
Early birds
The clash at the Gtech Community Stadium will be Liverpool’s 44th Saturday lunchtime kick-off since the German arrived on Merseyside in October 2015, which is the most of any Premier League club in that time.
Manchester City and Tottenham have each played 39, ahead of Manchester United (34) and Chelsea (33).
Klopp has overseen a total of 21 wins, 14 draws and eight defeats in the early Saturday slot, which equates to 1.79 points per game.
That represents the second-…
Al-Hilal have confirmed the signing of Joao Cancelo from Manchester City.
The right-back has reportedly signed a three-year contract after joining the Saudi Pro League club for a fee of £21million.
Cancelo originally joined the Citizens in August 2019 in a deal worth £60m, making him the most expensive right-back in history.
He made 154 appearances for City, winning three Premier League titles, an FA Cup and the EFL Cup.
Cancelo spent last season on loan at Barcelona after a falling out with Pep Guardiola, and led the club s defenders in chances created (35), crosses (82) and shots (32), but the Catalan side opted not to extend his stay.
In his last full campaign at City in 2021-22, he played the most minutes of any outfielder for the team, whil…
What is the your biggest Euro 2016 disappointment so far? / Image via gettyimages.com
As we take a day off to catch our breath and count the casualties at Euro 2016 following the closure of the group stage, it is always a good thing to draw a line and showcase the greatest impressions from the tournament thus far.
We will start by discussing the worst of the worst at the 2016 European Champions, including all aspects and participants, both on collective and individual level.
Lined up in no particular order are our biggest disappointments so far. Feel free to add your own in the comments below:
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Euro 2016 has been a frustrating tournament for Sweden and the main star of Erik Hamren’s team Zlatan Ibrahimovic alike.
The t…
Qatar have been cleared of any wrongdoing following a FIFA report into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Qatar s successful bid for the 2022 showpiece faced particular scrutiny due to several allegations of corruption.
However, an investigation led by former United States attorney Michael Garcia, who heads the investigatory chamber of FIFA s Ethics Committee, confirmed the Gulf state will not face any sanction. Neither will Russia, who will host the 2018 tournament.
The report, published by FIFA on Thursday, read: The evaluation of the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cups bidding process is closed for the FIFA Ethics Committee.
The chairman of the adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA ethics committee finds that the investigation into the said biddin…
Manchester City and Manchester United will meet in the FA Cup final for the second year in a row after City beat Chelsea and United survived a thrilling semi-final against Coventry.
Here, the PA news agency looks at their head-to-head record in the competition and the historical significance of next month’s clash.
Previous meetings
Ilkay Gundogan’s goal after 12 seconds – the fastest FA Cup final goal in history – is the abiding memory of City’s 2-1 win last year.
Bruno Fernandes equalised from a penalty but a second Gundogan strike sealed City’s fourth and most significant victory in nine FA Cup derbies dating back almost a century.
City won the 1926 semi-final 3-0, Tommy Browell scoring twice, but went on to lose the final 1-0 to Bolton. Th…
Oliver Skipp is on the verge of leaving Tottenham Hotspur for Leicester City in the summer transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Skipp has completed his medical, with Tottenham and Leicester now in full agreement over a deal.
Skipp has been on the books of Tottenham since 2008 and has come through the North London club’s youth academy. The 23-year-old midfielder, who had a loan spell at Norwich City in the 2020-21 season, is now part of Spurs’ first team, but he is not guaranteed a place in the starting lineup.
Football Insider has claimed that Leicester will pay Tottenham £20 million plus add-ons for Skipp, who is deemed surplus to requirements by Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou. Skipp has made 77 appearances in the Premier League so far in…