Derek McInnes is still searching for his first win since taking over at Rangers, but he is confident that the wins will start to come soon. The post McInnes shares Rangers frustration after winless start continues appeared first on SoccerNews.
According to multiple sources, Bournemouth are on the verge of signing Antonio Silva from Benfica. There is already a full agreement between the Cherries and the player’s representatives, and an agreement between the clubs is said to be “close”. It is widely believed that Benfica are holding off from confirming the sale until their Europa […] The post Bournemouth to sign Antonio Silva appeared first on SoccerNews.
Only time will tell if the former Leverkusen manager will become yet another victim of the constant churn at Stamford BridgeIf Xabi Alonso arrived at Chelsea under any illusions about the expectations awaiting him, they were staring out from picture frames hung around Stamford Bridge’s Drake Suite. During his unveiling as Chelsea’s new manager, on either side of the room hung large, gleeful photos of José Mourinho and Antonio Conte holding Premier League trophies.Chelsea’s last two managers, Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior, were not afforded the Drake Suite treatment previously reserved for Mauricio Pochettino and Frank Lampard before them. But the blue carpet was rolled out once again for one of the most decorated midfielders of his generation, an integral part of Spain’s victories in two European Championships and one World Cup and a coach who has made a strong start to converting that talent to the touchline. Continue reading...
Club are battling relegation from the second tier in a city under attack by Russian forces but are one upset away from the Europa LeagueA minivan with darkened windows pulls up at a gym in central Chernihiv and, once the doors have slid open, a stream of youths emerge into the daylight. Inside, Artem Rakitin sits everyone down on the rubber mat for one last pep talk. He has known most of the young men for several years, working with them here twice a week and in effect acting as a mentor. It is a kind of physical and mental training, he explains: self-discipline; resisting vices; preparing oneself, if the moment comes, to defend his country. “One of the main targets is for them not to become alcoholics, drug addicts or anything like that,” he says. “It’s to put their energy in the right places, and to support the right team.”The team they follow is FC Chernihiv and, on Wednesday evening, the second-tier side will face Dynamo Kyiv in a Ukrainian cup final no one could have predicted. FC Chernihiv are battling relegation but, to delirious scenes, won their semi-final against Metalist 1925 Kharkiv on penalties despite being reduced to 10 men in the fifth minute. They are one more upset from an improbable Europa League spot; it is a remarkable moment for a city, tucked in Ukraine’s north towards the Russian and Belarusian borders, that has suffered devastating losses since February 2022. Continue reading...
The Prague derby between Slavia and Sparta was abandoned after a pitch invasion marred their Czech league title clash. Slavia hosted their bitter city rivals on Saturday and were set to win the title as they led 3-2 in the final moments of the match. Slavia fans ran onto the pitch moments before they would have won the title@majkeI1999 X With less than four minutes to play in stoppage time, a swarm of fans stormed the pitch in what appeared to be some early celebrations. However, as hundreds took to the playing field with flares, the scenes turned ugly as the players ran to the tunnel for safety. Sparta goalkeeper Jakub Surovcik appeared to be hit in the face by a cup of beer, and went down in apparent pain. He was then helped back onto his feet as security officials rushed to contain the horde of Slavia supporters. Czech FA statement “The further fate of the unfinished match between Slavia Prague and Sparta Prague will be decided by the LFA Disciplinary Commission in accordance with the relevant regulations, which has convened an extraordinary meeting for Sunday morning. “The case will be assessed on the basis of all relevant materials, in particular the match report, reports from delegated persons, and other available documents, including any possible sporting consequences arising from the relevant regulations.” Sparta later announced on X that they left Fortuna Arena due to the security concerns. “We cannot look for any mitigating circumstances for ourselves; our fans ran onto the pitch and objectively interrupted the match before its end,” Slavia chairman Jaroslav Tvrdik said. “The opponent reported an assault on one or two players. I believe it is legitimate that the match was terminated. “When I talked with our players, if something similar had happened to us at their place, we would have acted the same way. We can only apologize. “We must respond to this in the future so that we simply do not repeat such situations. It is difficult. “Three, four minutes separated us from championship celebrations; I believe the players would have handled it. View Tweet: https://t.co/tfpiMIlHyt One fan threw beer in the face of Surovcik@majkeI1999 X The goalkeeper went down, but then made his way off the pitch@majkeI1999 X “Instead, this is probably the greatest disgrace I have experienced in eleven years at the club. “I apologise to all the normal fans who stayed in the stands; I apologise to all the viewers in front of their screens. It is a disgrace; we must live with it.” Live commentary on the league’s official website confirmed that the match was ‘ended prematurely’ as a result of the pitch invastion. It also claimed that a couple of the Sparta players were injured, and that a forfeiture could be expected. Slavia finished top of the Czech First League in the regular season on 71 points, with Sparta eight points behind them. Both sides were joined by the rest of the top six in the Championship group in a format similar to that of the Scottish Premiership. Smoke from the flares added to the crazy scenes in Prague@majkeI1999 X Slavia, who faced Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur earlier this season, beat Slovan Liberec 2-1 in the first match to reach 74 points. A win over their Prague rivals would have extended their lead to 11 points, handing them the title with three games to play. However, due to the abandonment of the match, their wait to win back-to-back league crowns looks set to wait. Should the match be forfeited as suggested earlier, Sparta could win the three points and reduce the gap to just five points. Whoever finishes top automatically qualifies for the league phase of next season’s Champions League. Second will enter in the third qualifying round, whilst third and fourth earn the Europa League and Conference League respectively.
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