List of All Articles with Tag 'per'

Two down, one to go. Perhaps it is a sign of the FA Cup’s diminishing status that it seems the least of the trio, perhaps a sign of its historic importance that Pep Guardiola sounded genuinely delighted to win it. “The emotions are so, so special,” he said. For the record, and it can be obscured by much else on a sizeable CV, he is now the only manager to win each of the main English, Spanish and German knockout competitions two times. There was a time when it represented arguably the biggest prize in the domestic game, another when the double was the ultimate achievement. Only four clubs did it in 97 years. In the last 38, nine have: over three decades, more than a quarter of champions have also ended the season with the FA Cup. It is a sign of how a concentration of resources at the top have altered the footballing landscape. Manchester City are an extreme case, even if the man who proved their Wembley match-winner, Ilkay Gundogan, was a £16m bargain. But if the 2023 FA Cup will have a greater significance than most, it is probably for two reasons. This was, in more than 150 years, the first final to double up as a Manchester derby. It may not be the last if City maintain their dominance and Erik ten Hag’s revival of Manchester United proves more than a fleeting affair. Both of these neighbours had arguably underachieved in the competition in the previous decade, even though each had won it once; they had claimed eight League Cups between them in the same time. And there is the importance of the FA Cup as part of a package, as one-third of a potential treble. If City’s legacy and reputation rests in part in the hands of the lawyers, given the 115 charges of breaching Premier League financial regulations, on the field, it depends on the continent. “We have to win the Champions League to be recognised how the team deserves to be,” said Guardiola. The idea is nothing new: the different element is that he has started to admit it as the prospect has grown likelier. Many a City fan would rather win the Premier League than the Champions League but it always felt disingenuous when Guardiola used to argue he would, too. “You have to put the pressure on yourself to be recognised as something good, so you have to win in Europe,” he has now admitted. Europe seems the final frontier for this most European of sides. The most seismic FA Cup – on its own, anyway – in City’s history may forever remain the 2011 tournament that Yaya Toure decided in their favour; it opened the floodgates. Then, there was a novelty value. Now, the distinctions can feel statistical: Gundogan scored the quickest goal in FA Cup final history after a mere 13 seconds. It took a contentious penalty to stop them becoming the first team since 1903 to win the competition without conceding. Their eventual goal difference was 19-1. Riyad Mahrez had delivered the first semi-final hat-trick since Alex Dawson’s in 1958. The fact the Algerian’s treble came against Sheffield United was both indicative and deceptive. “Many times we arrive in the semi-finals,” said Guardiola; they can be their undoing, the proximity of Champions League knockout ties tending to stop them flourishing on all fronts. Yet City finish this season’s competition having knocked out the teams who came second and third in the Premier League and, including Chelsea, three of the supposedly big six. They have beaten five of next season’s top flight even if two of them, Burnley and Sheffield United, had a rather greater focus on promotion. There are signs of how the FA Cup is secured this season. Erling Haaland has scored 52 goals this term but has only found the net in one FA Cup match, even if it did bring him a hat-trick against Burnley. Neither Mahrez, their top scorer in this season’s competition, nor Julian Alvarez, who was tied for second, actually took part in the final. Phil Foden, another of those to get three goals, was limited to a cameo. City’s squad is not as large as is often imagined but they have quality in such depth that their first 18 or so players are outstanding; United could reflect that theirs are perhaps not when they brought Wout Weghorst off the bench. The man who played most minutes in City’s FA Cup campaign was, indirectly, the instigator of that record-breaking goal, Stefan Ortega, whose punt forward led to Gundogan’s wondrous strike. In his own way, the second-choice goalkeeper is a reason for glory, and not merely with his collection of clean sheets. Guardiola’s willingness to pick his reserve goalkeeper has cost him in previous seasons, with Zack Steffen culpable in successive semi-final defeats. Ortega has proved an upgrade, just as City showed defensive resolve when United threatened an equaliser. But it will be Ederson who faces Internazionale, charged with completing the treble, to get the prize City want more than the FA Cup and the recognition that has eluded them Read More Man City’s FA Cup victory provides no clues on how to stop them Ilkay Gundogan, Man City’s master of timing, sets up chance for perfect goodbye Pep Guardiola urges Man City to cement greatness by winning Champions League Elton John joins Manchester City’s FA Cup celebrations Man City vs Man Utd player ratings as Ilkay Gundogan wins FA Cup final Man City’s FA Cup victory provides no clues on how to stop them

A woman has shared her wedding horror story and revealed that her brother insisted on dressing up in a ‘disrespectful’ pirate costume. Posting on the popular “Am I the A**hole?” Reddit thread, the woman didn’t know how to react after being told her sibling was attending her big day dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. The bride wrote: “My brothers wife called me up to tell me they were getting me personalized M&M’s as a wedding present (cool!), oh and, BTW, ‘Since you’re having a yacht wedding, Greg will be wearing a pirate costume.’ I said ‘Please no.’ “But he showed up in a pirate costume exactly like the Johnny Depp pirates of the Caribbean one anyway. Complete with fake dreadlocks.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The woman went on to write: “If he had done this to any of my older sisters on their weddings, they would have cried and freaked out. Or if I had embarrassed him on his wedding he would have flipped out. But I’m seen as the ‘wacky artistic little sister’ that everyone can do whatever to. And he’s so ‘sensitive’ that everyone in my family indulges him and never calls him out.” She went on to say: “Then I got to look like a bridezilla in front of my other guests for being very visibly not thrilled after he interrupted my first dance with my new husband to twirl me around the dance floor against my will while he swung a sword around. One of my new relatives acted like I was being uptight, told me she found the pirate costume funny. I didn’t bother to explain to her ‘Yeah well it’s not your big expensive event with your family being disrespectful as usual.’” The post continued: “I am worried that I am too sensitive and uptight when it comes to my family and the way I sometimes feel disrespected by them. I wish I could lighten up.” She added: “TLDR: I’m the youngest in a big family where they’ve always expected me to be ok with all of my stuff being treated as a joke, whereas their stuff is sacred. And my brother wore a pirate costume to my yacht wedding after I begged for that not to happen. I’m worried that I’m too sensitive to my family dynamics and might be super uptight about how my family dressed and behaved at my wedding, and felt insulted by my bothers costume.” Safe to say, the internet was appalled by the post. The comments section was full of people showing support for the bride, and criticising the selfish acts of the brother. One wrote: “You should have left him stranded on an empty island.” Another added: “I would be so hurt if a close member of my family though so little of me as to do this. I’m so upset that nobody pushed him into the sea.” A user commented: “He made you and your SO day about himself. He's an ahole.” “Your wedding, your rules. He is a huge AH. I would banish him from any future event. A wedding is a big thing and he has no right to ignore your request,” one more said. Another added: “Your brother has main character syndrome. I would feel completely disappointed and hurt. I think you really need to lay down the law this time with this family dynamic or not respecting your events. Say what you need to say to him and then don’t contact him for a while.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Singer Dua Lipa is known for pop hits such as 'Levitating' and 'IDGAF', but it turns out the English-Albanian musician does ‘GAF’ about the UK government’s rhetoric around immigrants – including around Albanians. Speaking to The Sunday Times, the 27-year-old, whose parents are Kosovo Albanians, said “of course it hurt” when Home Secretary Suella Braverman spoke of an “invasion” of immigrants and “Albanian criminals” in the Commons back in November. The artist said: “All those words thrown around about immigrants? I always felt London was an amalgamation of cultures. It is integral to the city. “So when you hear the government talk about Albanians, for example, it hurts. It’s short-sighted and small-minded, but it’s the way a lot of people think. “No matter how we try and change the rhetoric, there will always be those who think, ‘immigrants are coming into the country and taking jobs!’ “However, immigrants who have come here have earned their keep by working incredibly hard. There needs to be empathy, because people don’t leave their country unless they have to out of necessity, out of fear for their family.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Last year, Braverman told MPs: “[2022] has seen a surge in the number of Albanian arrivals – many of them, I am afraid to say, abusing our modern slavery laws. “Albania is not a war-torn country, and it is very difficult to see how claims for asylum really can be legitimate claims for asylum. I would also note that we see a large number of Albanian migrants arriving here and claiming to be victims of modern slavery. “Again, I really am circumspect about those claims, because Albania is, of course, a signatory to the European convention against trafficking - the original convention that underlies our modern slavery laws - and if those people are genuinely victims of modern slavery, they should be claiming that protection in Albania.” At the time when Braverman made the remarks, the prime minister of Albania, Edi Rama, slammed the comments for “fuelling xenophobia”. While Lipa said she likes “being vocal about politics all over the world”, she added she would “stay away from politicians”. Nevertheless, the 'Physical' singer has been praised online for her intervention: And it’s not the first time Braverman has been called out for her choice of language around immigrants, as at the start of the year she was confronted on her use of terms such as “invasion” by a child survivor of the Holocaust. After the woman – 83-year-old Joan Salter – asked Braverman why she feels the need “to use that kind of language”, the home secretary replied to say she “won’t apologise for the language that I’ve used” to “demonstrate the scale of the problem” around immigration. “We mustn’t shy away from saying there’s a problem. I will not shy away from saying we have a problem with people exploiting our generosity, breaking our laws and undermining our system,” she said. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Tupac wrote, 'I was struggling to find all the answers that I wouldn't leave any unanswered questions'

Ashwini Vaishnaw later said the cause and people responsible had been identified but gave no details.

Gareth Bale will not be joining the Wales coaching staff, manager Rob Page has said. Former captain Bale ended his stellar playing career in January with a farewell statement announcing he was “stepping down but not stepping away” from the Wales environment. Page said he wanted to keep the former Real Madrid forward, his country’s most capped men’s player with 111 appearances, involved in some capacity but the Wales manager has now confirmed that will not be in a coaching role. “I spoke to Gareth on Monday and I’m due to have another conversation with him this week,” Page said ahead of this month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey. “Nothing particular or specific, just a general. He’s open to conversations and he wants to play a part in the future, but not from a coaching point of view. “For me to have another voice from the outside watching things is beneficial. He’s enjoying his retirement.” Bale’s former team-mate Chris Gunter joined Page’s backroom staff ahead of two qualifiers in March, from which Wales made a positive start to Euro 2024 qualifying by picking up four points against Croatia and Latvia. Page said: “Gunts has come up and he’s a first-class lad. He’s doing his coaching badges, he’s great around the changing room and the lads love him to bits. He’s doing really well at the minute. “We’ve just had a four-day camp with the under-21s and our EFL players and we’ve given him more responsibility with regards to the training sessions. “The culture in the changing room is the most important thing. When I had him as a player, he was key to that. “He was never afraid to come to talk to the coaching staff and I still want that. He drives that for us.” Wales head to Portugal this week to prepare for their Euro 2024 double-header, with three key players nursing injuries. Skipper Aaron Ramsey (calf), goalkeeper Danny Ward (dislocated finger) and Neco Williams (broken jaw) missed the final games of the season for their respective clubs. But Page has been encouraged by his squad playing more Premier League minutes this term, a top-flight total of 251 appearances being 135 more than the previous campaign and the most since the 2016-17 season. He said: “You want your best players playing at the top level because that will help us to compete against the top teams in Europe and the rest of the world. “We need our players being exposed to the top teams, whether that’s in the Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga or Serie A. “Thankfully, we now have more of our Welsh players playing at the top level.”