List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Michael Beale insists fans will see a new Rangers side next season – but insists this current version was not broken despite a trophyless campaign. The Light Blues concluded their cinch Premiership season with a comfortable 3-0 win over St Mirren in Paisley, thanks to a double from Fashion Sakala and a third from substitute Antonio Colak. Rangers were already consigned to second place behind treble-chasing Celtic and after 38 fixtures, ended with 92 points, seven behind the Hoops. Since sporting director Ross Wilson left the Ibrox club in April, the former Gers assistant coach, who took over from Giovanni Van Bronckhorst in November, has been more involved in recruitment with Norwich midfielder Kieran Dowell’s pre-contract signing the first of several to come, while the departures of Allan McGregor, Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos, Scott Arfield and Filip Helander have been confirmed. “Probably the last five or six weeks have been the busiest I’ve ever been,” said Beale. “I’m not shocked by anything in the job or demands. “I was used to it here before but the added responsibility and added time off the pitch, managing other areas and doing recruitment, it’s been busy. “I’m glad the end of season is here if I am honest. But we’re really in a good place. We’re waiting for one or two things to be signed off then we’ll start seeing a new Rangers team come together. “Albeit, we’ve got over 90 points this season which, someone will tell me, but I don’t think we have done that too often in the last 15 or 20 years. When we have, we generally have won the league.” There appeared to be more than a hint of sarcasm in Beale’s voice when he added: “Again, everything is broken at Rangers so I’m looking forward to mending it. That’s the perception, I’m not sure if that’s quite true. “Celtic deserved to win the league this year, they were the outstanding team but our record was a strong one and I believe we’ll be adding to a very good team.” Buddies boss Stephen Robinson, who claimed a “clinical” Rangers side punished St Mirren for “three mistakes”, admitted that it was unlikely that out-of-contract striker Curtis Main would be staying at the Paisley club. The Northern Irishman said: “Curtis is very unlikely to stay. “When you are getting double and triple your money offers in England’s League One and Two then you need to just admit that you are not going to get there. “Curtis has been absolutely excellent for me, he’s been terrific every time he has played and he’s earned the right for possibly one big move. “Even today he was playing with an injection in his foot and he’s given absolutely everything so that’s the kind of quality people we have inside this building and I wish him nothing but the best if he moves on.”

Follow live coverage as Coventry City face Luton Town in the Championship today. English football's second tier is one of the most-watched leagues in Europe with a relentless fixture schedule and the prize of a place in the Premier League on offer combining to make it one of the most dramatic and exciting competitions in world football. Burnley were relegated from the top tier in 2022 but return refreshed and hopeful of making it back and equally Watford no doubt enjoyed their time in the Premier League too and are also keen to return. Norwich know what it takes to earn promotion from the Championship and will again be one of the favourites to do it again with one of the best squads in the division. It isn't all about the battle for promotion, either, with Wigan, Rotherham and play-off winners Sunderland hoping their ascensions from League One aren't short-lived as they battle to avoid the drop at the bottom. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

Teenage forward Adam Fantilli scored the go-ahead goal as Canada edged Latvia 4-2 and advanced to the final of the ice hockey world championship

NBC’s Premier League team is used to covering the pomp and circumstance of the champions lifting the trophy on Championship Sunday

A lot of modern football grounds look like they could have been designed by the same person, often lacking in character and hard to pick apart. The same definitely cannot be said for Luton Town’s Kenilworth Road. The ground, which was built in 1905, has always been a point of curiosity for football fans, mainly thanks to its unique entrance. Rather than a conventional walkway and set of turnstiles, fans attending Luton games find themselves walking through what initially appears to be someone’s house, with a row of terraces on either side. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter What looks like an otherwise quiet residential street is actually hiding a football stadium holding more than 10,000 people. With Luton performing strongly this year and reaching the playoff final, people have been focusing on the unique entrance more than ever. With the side taking on Coventry in the play-off final, there’s a very real chance that the club will be experiencing Premier League football next year. @jordanevans1606 Everyone should experience Kenilworth Road at least once in their life 😅 #luton #lutontown #kenilworthroad #football #footballstadium While it remains one of the great curiosities in British football, a whole lot of changes to the ground are being planned for next year if they get to the Premier League. The owners of Luton Town have released details of planned upgrades, with the Bobbers stand set to be knocked down and the capacity upgraded to 19,500 – and a further 4,000 seats or safe standing section to be added in a second phase of upgrades. Luton CEO Gary Sweet, said: “We're delighted the infrastructure element is underway allowing us to develop the detail of the stadium's design and, in particular, work hard to capture the core characteristics that makes Kenilworth Road so atmospheric, so intimate and so special to us. “This season, perhaps more than any other, has demonstrated the incredible relationship we all have with The Kenny and that has been the driving force behind our design work… We know everyone is desperate for the new stadium to open – as are we! “It's clearly a hugely complicated project but the main aim has always been to maintain the architectural quality and to deliver a stadium that replicates an essential, unique character we are all so familiar with but also fit and ready to grace the Premier League stage.” 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.

Follow The Independent's live coverage of all the action in the FA Women’s Super League today. The WSL is the top tier of English women’s football with international players from all over the world plying their trade in one of the most competitive and entertaining leagues around. Chelsea have won three of the past four titles and Emma Hayes’ side will be right in the hunt again, with the likes of Arsenal - champions in 2018-19 – and Manchester City, who have been runners-up for each of the past four seasons, among their competitors. With the top three sides qualifying for the UEFA Women’s Champions League, all 12 WSL teams have plenty to play for, although some clubs’ main ambition will simply be to avoid the drop. The side who finish bottom will be relegated to the FA Women’s Championship – a fate that befell Bristol City in 2020-21 – and newly-promoted Leicester City, competing in the top flight of the women’s game for the first time, will be eager to avoid an immediate return. We will bring you all the action and updates from today's game in the live blog below:

The fire department had to remove a TV spotlight that was being swarmed by wasps before Borussia Dortmund’s title-deciding game against Mainz in the Bundesliga

Chelsea travel to Reading on the final day of the season knowing that victory will secure a fourth straight Women’s Super League title. The Blues hold a two-point lead over Manchester United in the table and a win would complete the double following their FA Cup final victory. United must beat Liverpool on the final day and hope Reading - who will be relegated if they lose to Chelsea - can pull off a seismic upset. If Chelsea and Reading draw, United must beat Liverpool by six goals to take the title from the champions. Read More ‘Business as usual’ as Chelsea look to wrap up Women’s Super League title Departing Magdalena Eriksson and era-crowning win show why WSL title heading back to Chelsea You’re asking the wrong person – Emma Hayes not interested in title permutations

Roy Hodgson has asked his Crystal Palace players to ensure he goes out on a high if Sunday’s Premier League finale against Nottingham Forest proves to be his last game in charge. The 75-year-old has said he is assuming Sunday’s match will be his last, having signed a contract to the end of the season when he returned to his boyhood club following the sacking of Patrick Vieira in March. His impressive record – 17 points from nine games – has led to speculation that Steve Parish may ask Hodgson to stay on and the former England boss said he would keep his options open – but for now he is treating this weekend as his last in charge. “We have got satisfaction as a coaching staff from the way the team has played,” Hodgson said. “We have got satisfaction from the way the team has worked both on and off the training field and in matches, and as a result it leaves a very warm glow going into the last game. “When I think back to the time we had, it also makes me a little bit nervous. It is the final game of the season in front of the home crowd, playing against a team below us in the table. “I would like the boys to do well on Sunday and finish off in the best way possible and not finish on a bit of a damp squib.” Hodgson has steered Palace comfortably clear of the relegation battle as they go into the final round of fixtures in 11th place. And Hodgson said that was down to the commitment of the players and his backroom staff during the last two months. “I will look back on this time working here with this group of players with a lot of satisfaction in the end, and what it has done is it has given us a lot of good moments in games when we have played well and got reward for playing well,” he said. “That’s the thing you are always concerned about as a coach. Can you get the team playing well and doing the right things, defending as you want to defend and attacking as you want the team to attack, but then to get any rewards from it you have to win? “The good attacking movement has to finish with a goal, not a shot which hits the crossbar or is saved by the goalkeeper or goes behind, because they get forgotten. “The move will only be discussed or analysed or dissected by the pundits at the end of the game if the ball has gone in the back of the net.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Fashion Sakala bags brace as Rangers sign off with victory at St Mirren Alex Hartley: Taking indefinite break from cricket was ‘hardest decision’ ever Aston Villa’s final step in European bid will be hardest – Unai Emery

Fashion Sakala grabbed a double as Rangers signed off on their cinch Premiership season with 3-0 win over St Mirren in Paisley. Both teams had little to play for but the Gers attacker was determined to leave a lasting impression on the campaign, scoring following a solo run after 26 minutes before adding a second just after the break with a similar run and finish. Fit-again Croatia striker Antonio Colak climbed off the Rangers bench to score a third in the 77th minute as the Ibrox side – consigned to finish runners-up to champions Celtic – enjoyed a comfortable finale to their trophyless season. Boss Michael Beale, who took over from Giovanni Van Bronckhorst last November, has already begun the revamp of the squad he hopes can overcome treble-chasing Celtic and Gers supporters will welcome a very different team into the new season – but expectations will remain as high as ever. Saints had reached the top six for the first time under the present league format but were without a win in their previous six games. However, manager Stephen Robinson had stressed the season had been a success and for the last fling, there as a league debut for goalkeeper Peter Urminsky and first starts of the season for midfielder Coalan Boyd-Munce and attacker Lewis Jamieson. For the visitors, goalkeeper Robby McCrorie replaced the departing Allan McGregor, with midfielders Ryan Jack and Ianis Hagi and attacker Rabbi Matondo starting. Buddies defender Ryan Strain went off with an injury after just six minutes and – before he was replaced by Marcus Fraser – Matondo curled a shot from the edge of the penalty area which just escaped Urminsky’s left-hand post. Sakala’s goal came when he took a pass from left-back Ridvan Yilmaz, slalomed across the Saints penalty area past a couple of black and white shirts before his shot struck Paisley defender Scott Tanser and limped over the line. The visiting fans at the other end of the ground seeming to take time before realising the ball was in the net. Moments later, McCrorie made a decent save from captain Mark O’Hara’s header before the Rangers goalkeeper was caught by Curtis Main as he went for a Jamieson cross, the Paisley forward picking up a booking from referee Matthew MacDermid for his troubles. Less than three minutes after the restart, Sakala added a second, again coming in from the left evading tackles and this time his low drive was clean and powerful as the ball sped past Urminsky. St Mirren slowly began to work their way into the game, pushing Rangers backwards and giving them some defending to do. Beale made a quadruple substitution in the 67th minute, bringing on Adam Devine, Borna Barasic, Scott Arfield and Colak with skipper James Tavernier, Yilmaz, Hagi and Sakala making way. The changes did little to repel the Buddies who were working hard to get a lifeline in the game. However, after firing a drive wide of the target from outside the box, Colak knocked the ball in from close range, after Todd Cantwell’s corner from the right had been flicked on by Nicolas Raskin, before taking the acclaim of the Rangers supporters behind the goal. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Roy Hodgson looking to end his latest stint as Crystal Palace boss on a high Alex Hartley: Taking indefinite break from cricket was ‘hardest decision’ ever Aston Villa’s final step in European bid will be hardest – Unai Emery

Luton Town play Coventry City in the Championship play-off final at Wembley for a place in the Premier League. Both clubs were in League Two as recently as 2018 and are looking to complete remarkable journeys with promotion to the top-flight, in what is often known as football’s “richest game”. Luton were a non-league club just nine years ago but their incredible rise through the divisions means they are just 90 minutes away from hosting the likes of Man City, Arsenal and Manchester United at Kenilworth Road next season. But Coventry’s story is just as compelling - under Mark Robins they have battled back from the brink and are now on the verge of returning to the Premier League for the first time since 2001. Only one team can make it on what is set to be a thrilling afternoon at Wembley. Follow live updates as Luton face Coventry in the Championship play-off final. Read More Of course the play-off final is about money – but Coventry and Luton also represent something greater How much do Championship play-off final winners earn?

Today’s Championship play-off final offers huge rewards to the winner as either Luton Town or Coventry City will complete their fairytale rise from the ashes by reaching the Premier League. Often dubbed ‘the richest game in football’, the play-off final is worth huge swathes of money to the winner as they get to join the elite, 20-team cash cow that is the Premier League. It’s only nine years since Luton were playing non-league football but their incredible rise since reaching rock bottom has seen them punch above their weight by besting plenty of clubs with much bigger budgets and Wembley success would lead to the incredible sight of heavyweights such as Man City, Arsenal and Manchester United heading to the famously modest Kenilworth Road. Meanwhile, Coventry have essentially been to hell and back since slipping out of the top flight 22 years ago but, finally playing in their own city once more and having recently got rid of the millstone of Sisu ownership from around their neck, the Sky Blues are looking to complete a five-year ascent from League Two to the promised land. But how much is the Championship play-off final actually worth to the clubs involved? How much will the winners get for being promoted to the Premier League? Ahead of the 2020 Championship play-off final, Deloitte reported that the victorious club could earn anywhere between £135m and £265m, depending on whether or not they could avoid immediate relegation from the Premier League. What TV money will the winning club receive in the Premier League? Official figures for the 2020-21 season showed that broadcast revenue incredibly totalled more than £2.5bn and was distributed among the 20 clubs in the Premier League. Of that, each club was guaranteed at least £31.4m in equal share payments, £47.5m in international TV money and £5.9m in central commercial payments: a baseline of roughly £84.8m per team, regardless of position. In fact, Norwich City, who finished bottom of the league in that campaign, were handed just over £101.5m. By comparison, Championships clubs only receive around £8m in TV rights income for a season spent in the second tier. What other payments are there? On top of this, clubs are given merit payments based on where they finish in the Premier League. For the 2022/23 campaign, the sliding scale will see the champions receive roughly £44m and the bottom-placed team around £2.2m. The team finishing 17th, and just avoiding relegation, is set to receive around £8.8m, as well as staying in the top tier to cash in again next term. Read More A tiny ground and a squad costing less than a Man City sub. How are Luton one game from the Premier League? Coventry City aiming to come full circle after journey to hell and back Championship play-off final ‘one for the romantics’ as Coventry and Luton look to complete amazing journeys Coventry to face Luton in Championship play-off final as Hamer sinks Middlesbrough Coventry and Middlesbrough fail to land blow in Championship play-off semi-final Is Reading vs Chelsea on TV? How to watch Women’s Super League title decider