Focue Provides the Latest and Most Up-to-Date News, What You Focus On is What You Get.
⎯ 《 Focue • Com 》
Springboks go with Kolbe, Arendse on wings to start Rugby World Cup defense vs. Scotland
Springboks go with Kolbe, Arendse on wings to start Rugby World Cup defense vs. Scotland
South Africa has selected Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse on the wings for the opening game of its Rugby World Cup title defense against Scotland
2023-09-07 02:31
Rob Edwards relieved to hear skipper Tom Lockyer is doing okay after Luton win
Rob Edwards relieved to hear skipper Tom Lockyer is doing okay after Luton win
Rob Edwards’ delight at Luton ending their 22-year wait for Premier League football was nothing compared to the relief he felt at the news captain Tom Lockyer was all right. Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship play-off final went the distance at a packed Wembley, where the Hatters rallied after their skipper’s worryingly collapse early on. Jordan Clark put Luton into a deserved lead that Coventry midfielder Gustavo Hamer cancelled out in the second half, with the match ending 1-1 after 90 minutes and extra-time. Joe Taylor saw a winner ruled out just before spot-kicks, with Fankaty Dabo’s sudden-death miss sealing a 6-5 shoot-out triumph that propelled Luton back into the top-flight for the first time since 1992. The dramatic triumph means the Hatters will welcome Manchester City and Co just nine years after facing the likes of Salisbury and Hyde in the Conference Premier. Luton boss Edwards said: “I felt a bit numb. I just made sure I shook Mark’s hand and his staff. “I don’t want to be that guy that just starts running off and celebrating before I’ve seen the other manager. “I just felt very numb. I still do. It hasn’t sunk in quite yet. It might take a few days, but it’s great. It does feel good. “It was mixed because of Locks (Lockyer), that’s why I couldn’t really go for it celebrating.” This is a day that will live long in the memory of anybody connected to Luton, whose players held a Lockyer shirt throughout the celebrations. The Hatters captain collapsed when running back to defence in the early stages of the final, leaving the field on a stretcher and being taken to hospital for tests. Luton confirmed Lockyer was “responsive and talking to his family”, with his dad posting an image of him in a hospital bed celebrating the shoot-out win. Edwards cried with delight when he saw that image and hopes to soon celebrate with the much-loved skipper. “If we can we will (see him in hospital),” he said of Lockyer, who is expected to be kept in overnight. “But I don’t want to get in the way and if I’m not allowed then I won’t. “If I’m allowed I would love to go and see him, but then I think we’re so tight as a group that I’m not sure if 40-odd people are allowed to go and see him in hospital. “We will have to check on that, but I’m just so thankful that he’s OK because that’s all that matters. “I wasn’t really able to enjoy any celebration at the end because all I cared about was Locks.” As for Coventry, it was a heartbreaking end to a memorable season. Bottom of the table in October and taken over at the start of the year, boss Mark Robins was agonisingly close to leading the Sky Blues from League Two to the top flight. “Firstly, congratulations to Luton because once the game is over and done with you’ve got to congratulate the winners,” the long-serving Coventry boss said. “They’ve come out on top today, however tight the game may have been. “Congratulations to them and their supporters. I think they have been outstanding all season and good luck to them moving forward. “I think for us, certainly the opposite of their joy is pain. “You certainly feel a bit of pain, but once that pain starts to dissipate in however long it takes for it to go, we’ve got to reflect on what an unbelievable achievement it’s been just to even be here today in a play-off final. “The division is very, very tough as we all know and unfortunately we couldn’t make that next step.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Roberto De Zerbi wants to help Jason Steele follow Lewis Dunk into England squad Pep Guardiola has no concerns about ‘scoring machine’ Erling Haaland I am on my phone all the time – David Moyes finds it difficult to switch off
2023-05-28 05:24
West Virginia AD Wren Baker retains football coach Neal Brown after 8-4 regular season
West Virginia AD Wren Baker retains football coach Neal Brown after 8-4 regular season
West Virginia coach Neal Brown will keep his job next season
2023-12-02 04:44
How Conor Gallagher navigated ‘crazy’ Chelsea period to target Euro 2024 place
How Conor Gallagher navigated ‘crazy’ Chelsea period to target Euro 2024 place
Conor Gallagher is accustomed to finding himself the odd man out in hugely expensive midfields, the everyman among the extravagant purchases. He is often part of a £222m trio at Chelsea, a number made all the more remarkable by the reality that the Londoner cost nothing. Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, however, commanded prices in excess of £100m and if Chelsea were the trailblazers, taking the cost of midfielders into previously uncharted territory, Gallagher could prove the sidekick to four men with nine-figure transfer fees. “Training and playing alongside midfielders worth £100-plus million pounds is good,” he said, with an element of understatement. Arguably, no one else has more experience of it. While Jude Bellingham has withdrawn from the England squad to face Malta and North Macedonia, the sum Real Madrid paid to buy him could reach £114m. Declan Rice cost £105m. Such is Gallagher’s swift improvement that a player who has spent some of this season captaining Chelsea could be their regular partner in Euro 2024. Certainly, with Jordan Henderson in Saudi Arabia and Kalvin Phillips on the bench at Manchester City, Gallagher is presenting a more compelling case at club level. Wednesday marks a year to the day since he boarded the plane to Qatar. With disarming honesty, Gallagher had admitted during the World Cup that he wasn’t quite sure why he was in the squad. “I wasn’t playing much for Chelsea and we were going through a tough period, so that’s why I said that in an interview,” he reflected. A bit-part role at Stamford Bridge gave him imposter syndrome on international duty. “Last season, it was not really knowing if I was starting or not, not really sure what was going on, what team we were going for,” he said. He could have been collateral damage of the spending spree and arrivals of expensive midfielders. He feared for his place. “Of course, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t,” he said. “When top players come in your position, you think you have less of a chance of playing as much as I’d like.” But if confusion has seemed to envelop Chelsea for much of the subsequent year, for now Gallagher is a beneficiary of the chaos. As a homegrown player, he assumed a particular value to Todd Boehly: he would count as pure profit in the books if sold. There were Financial Fair Play reasons to cash in on Gallagher. Mauricio Pochettino saw footballing grounds to keep him. Tottenham and West Ham were among those to express an interest. Even as late as deadline day, his own future appeared uncertain. “It was a crazy period in terms of ins and outs at Chelsea and I had conversations with the manager and he expressed that he liked me as a player and I was in his plans and I was really happy with that,” Gallagher said. Pochettino has ways of illustrating Gallagher’s importance. He has started every league game; whereas Fernandez and Caicedo, the £100m men, were both substituted in Sunday’s frenetic 4-4 draw against Manchester City, Gallagher completed the match. He has spent much of the season as stand-in skipper, a Chelsea supporter leading his boyhood club when Reece James and Ben Chilwell are absent. “I love it when I get to wear the armband,” he said. It means he gets to captain the great Thiago Silva, to follow in the footsteps of John Terry and Frank Lampard, both inspirations to him. “More so Frank, because he was my manager last season and he helped me a lot,” Gallagher said. Lampard had longevity at Stamford Bridge. Gallagher has been on Chelsea’s books for 15 years. It remains to be seen if his association with them will last for much longer. He is in the final two years of his contract; Chelsea may yet look to cash in, though Gallagher is optimistic he will sign a new deal. “I’m sure that will get sorted out,” he said. “Everyone knows Chelsea is my club and I love playing for them.” If he is learning from the World Cup winner Fernandez and the biggest ever Premier League buy Caicedo, he has been shaped by non-league midfielders as well. His own career has involved spells at Charlton, Swansea, West Brom and Crystal Palace before breaking through at Chelsea. His brothers – Dan, Jake and Josh – are more accustomed to turning out for Dorking, Welling, Leatherhead, Aylesbury and Maidstone. “They have a great understanding of the game even though they’re playing at a lower standard,” the more successful sibling said. “They are all midfielders so there’s parts of their games I’ve taken off them and put in mine.” That said, there was a harsh start to the learning process. “They chucked me in goal,” Gallagher recalled. “They gave me the goalie gloves and just battered balls me at me.” He is not the only England call-up in the family: Jake attracted attention from the England C team, representing the non-league game. The levels may be different but the aims can be the same. “Hopefully I can start to play more for England,” said Conor. It isn’t quite the same as teaming up with Caicedo and Fernandez, Bellingham and Rice, but it could be a breakthrough season for Gallagher with country as well as club. Read More England head to Indonesia inspired by Under-17 World Cup winner Phil Foden Mauricio Pochettino will not take risks with Chelsea captain Reece James Man City post record annual income although potential breaches hang over club
2023-11-15 15:37
Indonesia $2 Billion Dollar Sukuk Is First in 18 Months
Indonesia $2 Billion Dollar Sukuk Is First in 18 Months
Indonesia is selling $2 billion in the form of a US-currency sukuk, its first such issuance in 18
2023-11-08 02:05
The Best PC Action Games for 2023
The Best PC Action Games for 2023
Once upon a time, the PC was the thinking person’s video game platform. There, you’d
2023-07-21 22:02
Panthers relishing 1st trip to NHL's conference finals in 27 years
Panthers relishing 1st trip to NHL's conference finals in 27 years
There was a wide range of emotions that the Florida Panthers all enjoyed in the immediate aftermath of securing their first conference finals trip in 27 years
1970-01-01 08:00
Ousted ‘GMA’ couple Amy Robach and TJ Holmes share update about their training as they gear up for NYC marathon
Ousted ‘GMA’ couple Amy Robach and TJ Holmes share update about their training as they gear up for NYC marathon
Amy Robach and TJ Holmes are both certified marathon runners and often run together in different marathons
2023-10-10 13:03
Hong Kong leader focuses on economy, property in policy address
Hong Kong leader focuses on economy, property in policy address
HONG KONG Hong Kong leader John Lee began delivering his annual policy statement on Wednesday, with a focus
2023-10-25 11:10
Out Of Hundreds Of Fluffy Down Comforters, These 16 Are Worth The Investment
Out Of Hundreds Of Fluffy Down Comforters, These 16 Are Worth The Investment
Cooler weather is coming, meaning it's time to get out all the things keeping us warm — space heaters, extra layers, and warm blankets — just to name a few. If this hot hot hot summer was any indication, one thing is for sure: We need some solid bedding (think snuggly comforters instead of lightweight summer quilts). But a warm-and-cozy sleep atmosphere does not always translate to a hot-and-heavy bed. It just takes investing in the right style of comforter — one that keeps you snuggled up while also regulating your body temperature.
2023-09-01 05:40
Australia wins toss and will field against Bangladesh at Cricket World Cup
Australia wins toss and will field against Bangladesh at Cricket World Cup
Semifinal-bound Australia has won the toss and will bowl first against Bangladesh in the Cricket World Cup at Pune, India
2023-11-11 13:07
Dollar gains intact as traders eye Jackson Hole
Dollar gains intact as traders eye Jackson Hole
By Tom Westbrook SINGAPORE The dollar began on a firm footing on Monday, following five straight weeks of
2023-08-21 08:48