Foot Ball news Alerts

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According to the Associated Press, Florida State is expecting Jimbo Fisher to leave after Saturday's game.

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Fifa intervention could have ramifications for Australian national sides World governing body set to take over after FFA plans for reform rejected The Socceroos and Matildas will be watching nervously for Fifa’s next move amid the unlikely but alarming possibility Australian football’s spiteful power struggle could affect their World Cup hopes. Football Federation Australia’s failure to force through its controversial new congress model has potentially catastrophic ramifications for the country’s national teams. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2iv8LWe

Can Wisconsin and UCF keep up their undefeated seasons? Betting lines for the Big Ten and AAC championship games.

With the draw taking place in Moscow on Friday, here is everything you need to know about the teams, from star players to tactics and the ones to watch Russia Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2kgV3H6

• England manager happy with choice of ForRestMix Club base • ‘The longest flight we’d have to do is three hours. That’s nothing’ Gareth Southgate insisted England would stick with their training base outside St Petersburg even if the World Cup draw results in difficult travel arrangements for his team. The Football Association has already selected Repino, a secluded village on the Gulf of Finland, as a base for the squad and they will stay at the four-star ForRestMix Club . But if England are drawn in position C3 it will mean they travel 6,120 miles during the group stages, significantly more than the 4,411 miles the team racked up commuting to fixtures in Brazil during the previous World Cup. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2irScu6

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• Southampton winger says ‘nothing negative or offensive was said’ • ‘Guardiola was only very complimentary and positive to me’ Nathan Redmond has defended Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola following their on-field altercation at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. The Southampton winger was confronted by Guardiola immediately after the final whistle in Manchester City’s 2-1 win . Redmond issued a statement on Twitter in response to growing media speculation, confirming “nothing negative or offensive was said”. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2jABx47

Jimbo Fisher won't talk about his future at Florida State—but he will talk about barbecue.

Moscow stages the World Cup draw on Friday but Russia’s systematic doping at Sochi 2014 and beyond has eroded what should be football’s crowning glory The darkness will be thick and the temperature below freezing in Moscow when the first ball is drawn but the historic snow‑dappled domes of St Basil’s Cathedral remain visible from the Kremlin palace even at night. As a setting for the World Cup draw it is a perfect showcase, the imposing buildings of the fortified complex and Red Square totemic of Russian power and influence. There are Christmas lights, an ice skating rink and hot sausage stalls in the shadow of one of the most uncompromising political regimes of the modern era. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2AJtjl7

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The former Texas A&M coach may end up staying in the SEC.

J.T. Barrett had arthroscopic surgery on Sunday but will be ready to play, according to Urban Meyer.

Will Georgia or Auburn win the SEC? Will Miami clinch its first-ever ACC title? Our picks are in for the final weekend of the season.

Herm Edwards is among the candidates being strongly considered by Arizona State.

• New manager succeeds Koeman who was sacked five weeks ago • Allardyce watched Everton’s defeat of West Ham at Goodison Park Sam Allardyce has been appointed the new Everton manager just a day after watching from the stands as the team cruised to a 4-0 victory over West Ham at Goodison Park. Related: Everton put faith in Big Sam successfully renewing his big ambitions Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2ngTUQF

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Max Rushden and co reveal the secret behind Raheem Sterling’s form, revel in Wayne Rooney’s long-range goal and look ahead to the World Cup draw Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts , Soundcloud , Audioboom , Mixcloud , Acast and Stitcher , and join the conversation on Facebook , Twitter and email . Max Rushden , Barry Glendenning , Paul MacInnes and Elis James return for a Football Weekly Extra midweek Premier League fixture special. On the pitch, Wayne Rooney helps Everton thump West Ham , the wonder that is Raheem Sterling strikes again to keep Manchester City and an overexuberant Pep Guardiola flying high, and Spurs slump to defeat against Leicester as their title bid looks all but over. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2Bz0Lbd

Tennessee is setting its sights on Dave Doeren after failing to persuade Mike Gundy and Jeff Brohm to come to Knoxville.

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Arsène Wenger’s team are on a winning streak and are lording it above Spurs, and Mesut Özil is sparkling, but there is no evidence yet that underlying failings of focus and organisation have been eradicated Arsenal are fourth! Arsenal have won their past three league games in a row! Arsenal have beaten Tottenham Hotspur and are now above them in the table! Arsenal have won seven out of seven at home this season! Arsenal defeated Huddersfield Town 5-0 on Wednesday with all three of their expensive forwards scoring! Arsenal are four points off second! At the Emirates Stadium, dreams are – tentatively – being dreamed again. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2zBFA6Y

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Who has a shot? Who needs a miracle? And will Alabama find its way back into the top four?

The Everton forward has joined an exclusive club of players to have scored from inside his own half. But where does it rank compared to David Beckham, Charlie Adam and the rest? David Beckham, Paul Robinson, Tim Howard, Charlie Adam, Maynor Figueroa and Wayne Rooney (x2) – the list of players to have scored goals from the halfway line in the Premier League is an exclusive club. But which one was the best? We rank each goal in order and invite you to let us know your thoughts. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2kb6UGA

• England will be hoping to avoid traditional enemies Germany • Draw from Moscow on Friday will be shown live on BBC2 The highly anticipated draw for the 2018 World Cup finals kicks off in Moscow on Friday afternoon and BBC2 will be covering all the action from 3pm. Match of the Day and BT Sport football host Gary Lineker, who has faced criticism for taking on the role after previously speaking out against Fifa over its various corruption scandals, will be co-presenting with the Russian journalist Maria Komandnaya. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2iptqe8

Pep Guardiola described Bielsa as ‘the best coach in the world’ but the Argentinian may be the latest manager modern football has simply left behind By Adam White and Eric Devin for Get French Football News Sitting and watching football is what Marcelo Bielsa does best. A touchline icebox doubled as his perch at Marseille, made famous by an unfortunate incident with a rogue coffee cup, he sat oddly unflinching on the Lille bench as his assistant had a blazing argument with the fourth official inches away during the trip to Amiens last week and he has even supposedly trained himself to sit and watch multiple games at once with the aim of picking out patterns of play. But as “El Loco” sat in a Lille restaurant, suspended from his duties and sacking imminent, watching his Lille side lose 3-0 at Montpellier on a laptop, Bielsa’s fiery, enigmatic, mad-scientist persona seemed to ebb away and was replaced by a sense of inevitability and déja vu. Despite the fanfare surrounding Bielsa’s ...

The former Tranmere captain, a record breaker with his long throws, is manager of the AFC Fylde side who take on Wigan in the FA Cup second round on Friday – and he is no stranger to inflicting cup upsets Look closely at the AFC Fylde kit when the National League side take on Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup on Friday night, and you will find the extent of the club’s ambition is worn on their sleeve. A 15-year plan was put in place when new owners became involved in what was then Kirkham and Wesham in 2007, one that envisaged Football League status being achieved by the year 2022. Five promotions later, Fylde stand on the threshold of their dream. The next promotion will make it come true, and just to make sure no one loses sight of the objective, 2022 is woven into the players’ shirts. This is precisely the sort of structured planning and growth that persuaded the former Tranmere captain Dave Challinor to leave Colwyn Bay to throw in his lot with Fylde six years ago. It seemed a backward...

The former Napoli, Parma and Chelsea forward discusses his old team-mates, managing West Ham and a six-hour helicopter trip to try a new ice cream Gianfranco Zola still keeps an eye out for West Ham United. It is nine years since the club gave him his first management opportunity and seven since they took it away in the summer of 2010. In total he led the club through 73 Premier League games, only 14 fewer than Slaven Bilic before the Croat was fired earlier this month and replaced by David Moyes. That might be where the similarities end. “I cannot compare my experience to his,” says Zola. “I believe they are completely different. But I understand what he’s been through. Every manager, when things don’t go well, they feel bad about it. That, unfortunately, is our job.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2Bnzdok

Zay Jones appears to levitate, Conor Henderson pops up in the ‘First Professional Football League’, the Antarctic Ice Marathon and Felix Wiedwald’s borrowed cap 1) Remember former Arsenal midfielder Conor Henderson? Probably not as he only played one FA Cup game for them, admittedly in a 5-0 win over Leyton Orient , before spells at Hull City, Crawley Town, Grimsby Town and Eastbourne Borough. Well the English-born midielder has only gone and scored a 94th minute winner for his current club FC Pirin Blagoevgrad against the also superbly named Cherno More Varna. As injury-time winners go, a free-kick in off the bar isn’t a bad way to pick up the points for a team at the wrong end of the Bulgarian ‘First Professional Football League’ (we didn’t come up with the name), as proved by the excitable celebrations from the midfielder and his giddy team-mates . 2) American football is getting weirder by the week. Following on from the mystery of the disappearing USC player , The Buffallo Bills...

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Today’s fluff clicks while there’s nobody there The likelihood of Hatem Ben Arfa bringing his rare combination of sensational skills and remarkable substitutes’-bench-based-looks-of-smouldering-discontent back to the Premier League increases with every passing day, with the Frenchman not so much in the cold at Paris Saint-Germain as padlocked into a cryogenic chamber situated within an industrial freezer built upon the Arctic tundra in winter time. He has not been glimpsed in a football kit since his run-out against third division Avranches in the French Cup back in April and has since been – in the words of his lawyer Jean-Jacques Bertrand – “left out brutally and in a disrespectful manner” even though he “has matured a lot”, “never complains” and has a “fundamental love for the club”. It looks very much like he will be given the opportunity to develop a fundamental love for a different club in January, either on loan or on a free transfer, and according to the Mail Leicester are “c...

This Florida State fan wants to know what is going on with Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M.

Auburn is a 2.5-point favorite in Atlanta at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

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Mississippi State defensive coordinator Todd Grantham will become Florida’s new DC, a source told SI.

In this week’s #DearAndy, the unpredictable coaching carousel and the selection committee’s latest rankings have filled up the mailbag.

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It still feels slightly premature, with the cracks not fully repaired after a fraught start to the season, to declare that Arsenal will not look back now that a corner has been turned. They have, after all given their critics generous ammunition in recent years. Yet Arsène Wenger is the Premier League’s perennial optimist and, despite enduring a couple of fretful moments after Alexandre Lacazette’s early strike, this was the kind of flowing performance to make him believe that Arsenal are heading in the right direction again. Related: Man City v Southampton, Chelsea v Swansea, Stoke v Liverpool and more – as it happened Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2Bvp4H8

Some of Liverpool’s victories this season have been devastating displays of attacking football, the sort that make you glad to be a football fan. This wasn’t one of those, a victory of solid efficiency rather than rampant flair, but it will be no less valuable. A first-half goal from Sadio Mané and a late brace from substitute Mohamed Salah were enough for Liverpool to win this one, a win over a Stoke side who were utterly desperate, even by their reasonably low standards this season. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2i2qLU6

These are nervous times for Paul Clement. In a week that will see two of Swansea’s relegation rivals appoint new managers, a narrow defeat to the reigning champions away from home – courtesy of Antonio Rüdiger’s second-half header – does not sound like the worst result. Yet the manner of this performance in which Swansea barely mustered a shot in anger and with the Welsh club now the only team in the bottom five not to have parted company with their manager this season, it is clear that his time is running out fast. The sending off of his counterpart Antonio Conte just before half-time for a bizarre tantrum at the fourth official had perhaps given Clement a glimmer of hope that this could be his night. But those hopes were dashed when Chelsea finally took the lead and never looked like surrendering it as they maintained their faint hopes of retaining the Premier League title they won with such style last season. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2Ag9Oj7...

Erik Ainge hit Lane Kiffin with the "You suck...Thanks. Bye." 

Oregon State will hire Washington offensive coordinator to be its head coach, sources tell SI. 

Ricky Aguayo and Ryan Izzo are accused of ripping the turtle’s shell off. 

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Taggart has reason to wait to accept Oregon's new deal. If Jimbo Fisher leaves Florida State, Taggart could be a candidate in Tallahassee.

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These conference championship game participants without a simple way into the final four can still mess things up for their league with a win.

‘So I got in touch with Team Overdrive and here I am!’ Will drive pick up after being dissuaded from riding motorbike The former Chelsea and Tottenham manager André Villas-Boas will contest the Dakar Rally in 2018 after quitting as manager of Chinese side Shanghai SIPG. Villas-Boas, whose uncle took part in the event in 1982, will drive a Toyota Hilux in the 15-day rally which starts in Peru on 6 January and travels through Bolivia before finishing in Argentina on 20 January. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2AHxDRQ

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• Allardyce returns six months after he quit Crystal Palace • Former England manager has never been relegated from Premier League Sam Allardyce has agreed to become Everton’s manager, six months after he stepped down at Crystal Palace saying he had “no ambitions to take another job”. Allardyce is set to become the permanent successor to Ronald Koeman after David Unsworth’s unsuccessful stint as caretaker. His first match will be at home to Huddersfield Town on Saturday. He has agreed an 18-month deal worth a reported £9m. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2AjbSr4

Dividing teams into groups for a football tournament should be easy but nothing is ever simple when Fifa is in charge By Richard Foster for The Agony and the Ecstasy of the Guardian Sport Network Gary Lineker has faced accusations of hypocrisy after condemning Fifa as a “ revolting organisation ” and then agreeing to co-host its World Cup draw in Moscow on Friday. Lineker is not the first person to have found participating in the ceremony an awkward experience. The practice of inviting celebrities began at the 1990 World Cup, when Luciano Pavarotti and Sophia Loren were among the famous faces onstage in Rome. Four years later, Franz Beckenbauer was joined in Las Vegas by Evander Holyfield and Robin Williams, who played the whole thing for laughs , pulling on a glove like an overly enthusiastic doctor and instructing Sepp Blatter to “turn your head to the side and cough”. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2iixXzg

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Since the first World Cup back in 1930, it has become tradition for each tournament to design their own unique poster. Here we take a look at them Take a look at the World Cup footballs here Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2AiG9pY

• Two stewards hospitalised and Brighton stadium gates closed early • We condemn it in the strongest possible terms, say Palace Crystal Palace fans involved in disorder before the 0-0 draw at Brighton on Tuesday will face stadium bans and possible criminal action. Palace say there are clear images of the disturbance, which occurred outside the Amex stadium and left two stewards in hospital. Brighton had accused a number of Palace fans of arriving without tickets and seeking to gain entry shortly after kick-off in the so-called M23 derby. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2j1Cmnd

• Argentinian says 13-month injury lay-off was ‘probably worst time of my life’ • Lamela thanks Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs fans and family for helping him Érik Lamela has described the 13 months he spent on the sidelines through injury as “probably the worst time of my life”. The Argentinian, who marked his return to first-team action with an assist for Harry Kane in Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 defeat against Leicester City on Tuesday, required two operations to solve hip problems and admitted there were moments when he feared that he would never play again. Lamela, whose substitute appearance against Leicester was his first game for Tottenham in exactly 400 days, thanked the manager Mauricio Pochettino, the club’s supporters and his family for giving him the encouragement to get through the toughest period of his career. “It was crazy,” said Lamela, reflecting on his time out. “It was probably the worst time of my life. I really wanted to play but it took too long, my injury.” Contin...

World game’s president has already wrecked his flagship event and with the World Cup draw due on Friday still has only one of 20 local sponsors in place and has yet to agree terms for the TV rights with Russian broadcasters Good news and bad news once more for Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, who refuses to abandon his delusions of adequacy. The good news is that Gianni has pre-announced that there will be no racist incidents at the Russia World Cup next summer. “This is a very high priority,” he explained, “and we will make sure that no incidents will happen.” The bad news is that there may be no local sponsors at the Russia World Cup next summer. I say “no local sponsors” – in fact, there is currently just one of a possible 20 places in Fifa’s regional sponsorship tier taken up, with that spot filled 16 months ago by Russia’s Alfa Bank. Since then, nothing. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2ihsjNy

• Former Palace manager replaces Tony Pulis at the Hawthorns • Pardew’s first match will be against previous club Crystal Palace Alan Pardew has been appointed as West Bromwich Albion’s manager, replacing Tony Pulis. The 56-year-old, who has been out of work since being sacked by Crystal Palace last December, has signed a contract running until 2020 at the Hawthorns after holding talks with the club’s hierarchy last week. He will take charge for Saturday’s home match against his previous team, with Gary Megson having performed caretaker duties for the past two matches against Tottenham and Newcastle. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2igk30j

Before the teams with whom Chapman enjoyed his greatest success meet in the Premier League on Wednesday, we recall arguably English football’s most influential manager – referred to as the ‘maker of champions’ On Wednesday Arsenal and Huddersfield meet in the league for the first time in a generation, since the Gunners contributed to their one-time rivals’ relegation with two 1-0 wins in 1971-72. Theirs is a history pockmarked with notable encounters, from the 1930 FA Cup final to the friendly with which Huddersfield celebrated their centenary, but perhaps the most important occurred a little after midnight on the night of 10 June 1925, as Herbert Chapman decided which club he should manage the following season. Every one of these key battles was won by Arsenal. Huddersfield’s board thought they had done enough in that late-night meeting to keep their man in Yorkshire, including matching Arsenal’s offer to double his £1,000-a-year salary. The following morning the Gunners announced h...

Plus: teams playing derbies in change or third strips, rapid promotions to senior international sides and did a Newcastle player invent the windscreen wiper? Send your questions and answers to knowledge@theguardian.com or tweet @TheKnowledge_GU “In light of next year’s World Cup taking shape, I spent the international break reliving the last World Cup and noticed that Argentina scored their last goal in the competition in the eighth minute of their quarter-final against Belgium ,” begins Boris Cule. “Despite this, they came within minutes of a penalty shoot-out in the final, which they may well have won. What is the longest goalless run of any winning team at a major competition? And my second question is, given that Argentina went without a goal for a total of 322 minutes (they played extra-time in both the semi and final), was this the longest goalless run of any team in any major competition ever?” Markus Palder has been looking back to Italia 90 and has a slight twist on the qu...

Today’s tell-all is getting, is getting, is getting kind of hectic David Luiz remains in Antonio Conte’s bad books, having reacted badly to being substituted during Chelsea’s 3-3 draw with Roma in the Champions League in October. The Brazilian appeared to eff and jeff in his manager’s direction after seeing his number hoisted by the fourth official and has played in only four of Chelsea’s eight matches since. Reports on Wednesday suggest that Real Madrid are monitoring the breakdown in relations between player and manager with interest and could try to sign the Brazilian in January. David Luiz has been ruled out of Chelsea’s match against Swansea City on Wednesday evening with a knee injury, while his manager says the club hierarchy have not yet spoken to him about his transfer needs for the next window. “I think about this topic but it is better if my club ask me what I need to catch them up and then I will answer, but in a private way,” said Conte, who was left frustrated by Che...

The former Everton manager is keen to re-employ the methods which worked well for him through much of his 11-year spell in charge at Goodison Park David Moyes was hoping not to talk about Everton but the subject was difficult to avoid before his latest return to Goodison Park. “I’ll tell you this one,” West Ham’s manager said as his mind drifted back to the final day of the winter transfer window in 2013. “It was my last year. I think Everton were a striker short of being top four. You were still needing somewhere like £10m or £15m to get a top striker. We had £1m left. Tony Henry, who’s here, was involved in it, probably more so than anybody. He says: ‘There’s a boy at Barnsley who’s not bad.’” John Stones was the boy in question and instead of getting that top striker Moyes’s final signing for Everton ended up being a young centre-back from Barnsley who joined for £500,000 and left for £47.5m to Manchester City two and a half years later. That was often how it had to be for Moyes du...

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Tennessee is setting its sites on Jeff Brohm, Dave Doeren and Tee Martin with Mike Gundy re-upping at Oklahoma State.

Breaking down the odds for Stanford-USC, Miami-Clemson in the Pac-12 and ACC championship games. 

Auburn is No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings after upsetting previous No. 1 Alabama. Clemson moves up to No. 1. 

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The new College Football Playoff rankings are out.

Defender received a four-match ban with two of those suspended FFA disciplinary counsel suggested ball boy may have exaggerated injury Michael Marrone will only spend one more week on the sidelines for his “very ugly” FFA Cup final clash with a ball boy. The Adelaide United defender has been handed a four-match ban with two suspended after fronting Football Federation Australia’s independent disciplinary and ethics committee in Sydney on Tuesday night. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2i1T8BT

• ‘I prefer to forget the five minutes where we conceded the two goals’ • ‘To play away and score four goals … this was very, very good’ José Mourinho is often portrayed as a pure defensive technician but it was Manchester United’s exuberant attacking play that warmed a see‑sawing 4-2 victory at Watford that saw his team open up a 3-0 lead before almost finding themselves pegged back in the second half. “I prefer to forget the five minutes where we conceded the two goals,” Mourinho said of Watford’s late rally. “I prefer to focus on all the good things we did. To play away from home and score four goals, we could have scored seven, eight, this was very, very good.” Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2k8fFkK

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• Equality campaigner Fare will produce cautionary guide for LGBT fans • Piara Powar: ‘Gay people have a place in Russia which is quite underground’ LGBT fans will be warned about holding hands in public and other outward displays of affection when in Russia for the World Cup next summer. A cautionary guide will be produced by Fare – formerly Football Against Racism in Europe and now a pressure group that campaigns for equality in football – and dispersed to fans travelling to the tournament. Being gay is not illegal in Russia but the country has a law banning teaching about homosexuality in schools and there are numerous cases where gay people from foreign countries have been attacked because of their sexuality . Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2ne1Diu

• Conte says he is waiting to be asked how to catch ‘incredible’ Manchester City • David Luiz ruled out of match against Swansea City with knee injury Antonio Conte has described Manchester City’s start to the season as “something incredible” and said he is waiting for Chelsea’s hierarchy to ask him what is necessary for the Premier League champions to catch the current leaders. Chelsea find themselves 11 points behind City going into their home game against Swansea City on Wednesday evening and, having suggested after Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Liverpool that the club needed to enter January’s transfer market in order to get anywhere near Pep Guardiola’s side, the Italian has now called on those above him to seek out his advice in regards to exactly which players need to come in at the turn of the year. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2zy6iO2

Manchester United looked like running away from Watford midway through the first half as Ashley Young enjoyed an early festive return to Vicarage Road, scoring two lovely goals to help open up a 3-0 lead. Watford never gave up though, dragging it back to 3-2, before Jesse Lingard took the game away from them at the last with a sublime late fourth, weaving his way from inside his own half to finish in front of a delirious away end, Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2AfZsjS

Fleetingly it seemed as if joy had returned to The Hawthorns, as goals by Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Field put West Bromwich Albion on course for their first victory since August. But instead the home side ended up clinging on for a point, as their two-goal lead was whittled away by a Newcastle United side also in urgent need of a change of form. Ciaran Clark cut the deficit by heading home in the 59th minute and then, six minutes from time, Jonny Evans deflected a free-kick by Matt Ritchie into his own goal. Newcastle had avoided a fifth straight defeat and Albion continue to search for a win, as well as a new manager. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2ieVgJZ

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In the wake of the Greg Schiano saga, Tennessee has shifted its focus to Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy.

Ricky Aguayo says he was attacked by fraternity members after missing two kicks against Florida. 

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Sam Darnold won’t stay at USC just to avoid playing in Cleveland. 

Sign up now ! Sign up now ! Sign up now ! Sign up now ? Sign up now ! Today marks the 40th anniversary – give or take 11 months and 22 days – of the genesis of the great rivalry between Brighton and Hove Albion and Crystal Palace. It seems to have really, er, crystallised at the end of an FA Cup marathon between the two clubs in December 1976, won by Palace in controversial circumstances at neutral Stamford Bridge. Brighton thought they’d equalised through a Brian Horton penalty, you see, only for the referee to order a retake for encroachment. You know how these things go, and of course the second attempt was missed. At the final whistle, their boss Alan Mullery attempted to engage the whistler in Socratic dialogue, and was showered with coffee by a nearby Palace fan for his trouble. To be fair, the stuff they used to serve up at Chelsea was rank, the nearest place to get a good cup in those days was just outside Paris. But still. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian h...

Retired judge Lord Dyson’s report into the Millwall CPO scheme was commissioned by Lewisham council and while its findings are therefore hardly a shock to campaigners, the fight for the future of The Den is back on the agenda A report commissioned by Lewisham council has cleared Lewisham council of “any impropriety” in relation to the abandoned Millwall CPO scheme . The report, which was compiled by retired judge Lord Dyson and defined and framed by Lewisham councillors earlier this year, clears Lewisham councillors of misconduct and concludes they acted with “propriety, due diligence and in accordance with the applicable codes of practice” in relation to the New Bermondsey scheme. Related: Battle for The Den: why is the Millwall inquiry happening and whom does it serve? Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2AdcKgr

It’s just Lane being Lane. 

Oklahoma’s show-stopping quarterback is amazing, infuriating and on a collision course with the most prized individual award in college football.

Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead has emerged as a strong candidate for the Mississippi State head coaching vacancy.

The College Football Playoff rankings will change after No. 1 Alabama lost to No. 6 Auburn and No. 2 Miami fell to Pitt.

Our resident cartoonist imagines the hard work being put in by Gianni Infantino and Vladimir Putin to ensure the World Cup draw goes off smoothly View all of David Squires’ cartoons in his archive here And David’s only got another book out. More details here Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2AfTWeD

A pioneering scheme run in partnership with the local university is offering promising female players the chance to have a career in the game While many have concerns about the Football Association’s restructure of women’s football and this blog has highlighted many of them, others, such as Derby County Ladies, who have had long-held WSL ambitions, have thrown their support behind the plans. Related: Switch to winter season boosts Manchester City and Chelsea in Europe | Suzanne Wrack Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2i9AOu9

• Arsenal manager insists both players will remain at club until summer at least • Wenger says they could leave in January if ‘something unbelievable happens’ Arsène Wenger has for the first time explicitly ruled out the possibility of selling either Alexis Sánchez or Mesut Özil in January, saying both players would remain at Arsenal until the end of the season “unless something unbelievable happens”. Asked about the players’ futures on Tuesday, Wenger said: “I’m not the only one who can decide that. They have a say in that as well.” A few minutes later he was asked if he could, in fact, rule out a mid-season departure. “Yeah, I rule it out,” he said. “Look, I do not think every day about that. As long as they are here they have to give their best for the team and for the club. In my head, they stay until the end of the season. That’s the decision I took at the start of the season. Unless something unbelievable happens there’s no reason why that should change. Continue reading... ...

The English goalkeeper landed a contract with Fuenlabrada after sending letters in gold envelopes to 48 Spanish clubs. On Tuesday he will join his team-mates at the Copa del Rey tie against Real Madrid When Fuenlabrada’s bus rolls through the gates into the Santiago Bernabéu on Tuesday night, there will be an Englishman on board. In early July Conor O’Keefe, a 22-year-old goalkeeper and university student from Macclesfield, boarded a plane, hired a car and flew to Spain armed with nothing but a gigantic spreadsheet and Google Maps. There, he knocked on the door of every club within an hour radius until the third-division leaders invited him in; two months later, the Copa del Rey draw paired them with Real Madrid. And although he will not play, this is his team now – 48 clubs and hundreds of golden envelopes later. “I rang my dad: ‘We’re going to Real Madrid,’” he says. Richard O’Keefe knew how long his son’s journey had been and how much further it still has to run: from Crew...

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Dan Mullen comes to Florida not only with a strong sense of familiarity with the program, but also with full knowledge of the high expectations he's under and what it will take to achieve them.

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These are slick as hell. 

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• Goodison club consider fresh talks with the former England manager • David Unsworth has endured six defeats in eight games as caretaker Everton are considering fresh discussions with Sam Allardyce regarding his becoming their new manager, after initial talks with the 63-year-old previously broke down when he was approached earlier this month. Allardyce’s status as a potential candidate once more indicates how desperate Everton have become to find a permanent successor to Ronald Koeman as the first contact with him is thought to have broken down because of the length and terms of the contract he was offered. Continue reading... from Football | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2nb3EvO