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Gareth Southgate feels privileged to be anywhere near a century of matches at the England helm as he prepares for a repeat of the fixture where it all began for him seven years ago. Having rebuffed the Football Association’s initial approach after Euro 2016, the then Under-21s boss was parachuted into the hotseat after Sam Allardyce’s swift, ignominious exit. Southgate’s first game in temporary charge was a World Cup qualifier against Malta, with Daniel Sturridge and Dele Alli securing a 2-0 win in October 2016. Friday sees the Mediterranean minnows return to Wembley for the first time since then – a night when the England boss will take charge of his 90th senior international. “I know the numbers and I am aware that Bobby Robson was 95 games,” Southgate said. “If you had said to me the first time we played Malta that would be the case, I don’t know how I would have thought about that. “It has been a privilege to take as many games as we have and we have had some wonderful experiences and incredible nights along that journey. “I am very happy to be in with the sort of names that have managed that many games.” I am very happy to be in with the sort of names that have managed that many games Gareth Southgate Southgate is on track to become the first England manager to oversee a century of matches since Sir Alf Ramsey – a feat that could be achieved in the Euro 2024 knockout phase. But silverware in Germany rather than individual milestones is the only focus ahead of potentially his final tournament in charge. England sealed progress to next year’s Euros with two games to spare, yet a packed Wembley crowd will still be in attendance on Friday for the home game of an unbeaten year. Southgate wants to bring the curtain down in style against Malta after a disruptive build-up in which five of his players withdrew through injury, two were absent for personal reasons and three uncapped players were called up. “We want to play well,” Southgate said. “We’ve got close to 90,000 people coming – this is the last time we play at home in this calendar year. “Our performances across the calendar year have been very good and we want to finish the year well. “There are some individual things we would like to see and like to learn a little bit more about. “But clearly that is tempered by the sort of test that is going to be. “There are specifics for this game where you are going to have to break down a packed defence and we have to make sure we have the players in the starting team that can unlock those doors as well. “So, you are always trying to achieve a number of different objectives. “It has been a complicated week in that the five days leading into the camp, we lost a lot of players. “Each day, somebody else seemed to go so there has been a lot of change within the squad and it has not been easy to get all of the players on the pitch every day. “Tuesday, we hardly did anything training-wise so it has been a much shorter week and we are pleased with where the team is for the game and we are looking forward to seeing them play.” England complete this year’s schedule away to North Macedonia on Monday, before attention turns to the Euro 2024 draw in Hamburg on December 2. Preparations are well under way and Southgate says winning is “implicit in everything” he does as he looks to turn seven years of learnings into silverware. “I guess the biggest thing I have experienced is that you take charge of one of the most high-pressured jobs in world football and had to manage some of the biggest matches in world football,” he said. “There is only a World Cup final that we haven’t done. “You understand what that means in the longer term, in terms of what you have learned, what you have taken from those experiences. “And the fact we have dealt with those challenges and that pressure, which can sometimes really inhibit people and, frankly, a lot of people could not cope with that pressure, so I feel pleased we have shown that we can do that. “I am sure there will have been a lot of doubts some years ago whether I was capable of doing that and, of course, there will be other doubts people will have and that will always be the same. “You will always have questions asked of you but as a person, and as a coach, you will always learn through every experience you have and every day will throw a different challenge and you are learning all the time.” Read More Gareth Southgate highlights Sir Bobby Charlton legacy ahead of Wembley tribute How Gareth Southgate can make England vs Malta exciting If England were playing Malta in my front garden, I’d close the curtains Jude Bellingham and Levi Colwill injuries add to England absences Sir Alex Ferguson and Prince William among mourners at Sir Bobby Charlton’s funeral Alexander-Arnold studying Gerrard and Pirlo to master midfield role

What the papers say Striker Ivan Toney will demand a transfer release clause if he is to sign a new contract with Brentford, according to The Sun. Kylian Mbappe has agreed on a deal with Paris St Germain to forgo significant bonuses, according to the Daily Mail. But the France striker, 24, is still to sign a new contract. Manchester City will compete with Liverpool to re-sign Bayern Munich forward Leroy Sane, 27, reports The Sun. Social media round-up Players to watch Finley Gorman: Manchester City have agreed on a £1.2million deal to sign the 15-year-old Leeds attacking midfielder, says Football Insider. Jakub Kiwior: Arsenal are open to letting the Polish 23-year-old leave the club on loan as he is keen on more first-team football, according to 90min. Read More On This Day in 2013: David Haye has to rethink his plans Cincinnati Bengals lose Joe Burrow as they go down to Baltimore Ravens Gareth Southgate privileged as he closes in on 100 games in charge of England

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Harry Wilson admits the onus was on him to step out of Gareth Bale’s shadow and keep Wales on track for major tournaments. Boss Rob Page revealed recently he spoke to Wilson last summer and told him he was no longer simply a squad member and that he is a “big player” for Wales. Wilson responded with a hand in both goals in September’s 2-0 win in Latvia, and then scored twice in the stunning 2-1 victory over World Cup semi-finalists Croatia last month. Those two wins lifted Wales up to second in Group D and they will qualify automatically for Euro 2024 by taking six points from their final two games, away to Armenia on Saturday and at home to Turkey three days later. “Gaz provided a lot of moments for us on the pitch in times that we needed him,” Fulham forward Wilson said of Wales’ record scorer Bale, who retired from football in January. “So for me being an attacking player, I need to start stepping up in those moments, and thankfully I was able to do that in the Croatia game. “I’m not stupid, I know I wasn’t the first on the team sheet because we had Gaz at Real Madrid and ‘Rambo’ (Aaron Ramsey) at Arsenal and then Juventus. “They were playing regular football at the top level and it felt like they produced in every game. “I wasn’t happy with that because I wanted to be playing, but now with players leaving, I think there’s a spot there for me and I’d like to think that I have stepped up.” Wilson won his 50th cap against Croatia, 10 years to the day since becoming Wales’ youngest-ever male player at the age of 16 years and 207 days. Affectionately known as ‘The King of Corwen’ by Wales fans, Wilson has also stepped up off the pitch as part of a leadership group. He said: “It’s not just Gaz leaving, Joe (Allen) left as well as a couple of senior players who made sure that the standards are always up there. “I’ve gone from maybe one of the younger ones in the squad to being one of the oldest quite quickly. “We had a little meeting during the last camp that ‘Rambo’, Ben Davies, Connor Roberts, Ethan Ampadu and myself were in. I’m not the one who’s going to be barking orders on the pitch, but I like to lead in a different way and doing stuff right Harry Wilson “It’s a group of lads who want to make sure the standards are set every day, making sure everything is right off the pitch so we can perform on it. “I’m not the one who’s going to be barking orders on the pitch, but I like to lead in a different way and doing stuff right. On the pitch, I want to lead with the ball and try to make stuff happen.” Wales will be looking towards Wilson again as they attempt to reach a fourth major tournament out of five and avenge June’s shock 4-2 home defeat to Armenia. He said: “We know what we did wrong in that game and we know what we’ve got to do on Saturday to put that right. “For sure we owe them one. They played a fantastic game, but we also know we weren’t at the levels we’ve been at since. If we can perform like we did against Croatia, I’m pretty confident we can get a result.” Read More Gareth Southgate highlights Sir Bobby Charlton legacy ahead of Wembley tribute Steve Clarke praises Scotland for keeping their heads after late draw in Georgia ‘Great spectacle of cricket’ – Australia relishing World Cup final against India Mallory Franklin: Kayak cross unknowns add to excitement ahead of Olympic debut Jarell Quansah keen to become ‘top centre-back’ after Liverpool breakthrough Liam Dawson sees promise in fellow spinner Rehan Ahmed but calls for patience

Gareth Southgate showed footage of Sir Bobby Charlton to his squad ahead of England paying tribute to the 1966 World Cup winner at Wembley. The jewel in the crown for club and country, the news of Charlton’s death at the age of 86 on October 21 reverberated around the world. Southgate was at Charlton’s funeral at Manchester Cathedral on Monday and further tributes will be paid to the England and Manchester United great on Friday evening at Wembley. The Euro 2024 qualifier against Malta is the senior men’s team’s first match since Charlton’s death and a crowd mosaic is planned, along with a video celebrating his life. There will be a pre-match ceremony, period of applause and players will wear black armbands in memory of a man whose importance to English football was reiterated to the squad this week. “A big part of what we’ve wanted to do with our players is to talk about our identity as a team,” England boss Southgate said. “Part of that is knowing the history of our team and having an understanding of how special some of the players that have been England internationals before are. There were lots of messages within that for all of the players but, most importantly, an incredible player, an incredible man. Gareth Southgate on Sir Bobby Charlton “We’ve had the chance to do that this week. We showed some footage of Sir Bobby to the players, the first day we arrived. “A reminder that, of course, even a Liverpool man (like Trent Alexander-Arnold next to me) given Bobby’s performances with England can relate to his importance for English football. “You can have a fabulous club career and an international career. “At times those things can come into conflict because club managers of course have got to look after their own roles and responsibilities, and that can put players in difficult positions with all international teams, frankly. “But your international team will always be there as well and if you can win something with your international team, it’s probably bigger than anything else you’re going to experience. “So, there were lots of messages within that for all of the players but, most importantly, an incredible player, an incredible man.” Southgate has underlined the history and importance of representing England throughout his reign, with their training pitch at St George’s Park renamed in Charlton’s honour in 2017. The former defender has overseen an impressive turnaround in performances and a reconnection with supporters since first taking charge, initially on a temporary basis, in October 2016. That match was a home qualifier against Malta and the Mediterranean minnows return to Wembley for the first since then in Friday’s Euro 2024 qualifier. England secured progress with two games to spare and it appears can seal their place among the top seeds by winning on Friday, yet Southgate is never far away from criticism. “Well, the reality of that is however well we play tomorrow people will just say it’s a lower ranked opponent, so it’ll be irrelevant,” he said with a laugh. “People are going to have opinions. I’m probably tired of trying to fight that. “In the end, it will be what it is. So, I’ll just let our results and performances speak for themselves. “You’re never going to please everybody, so the best way as a football manager is keep winning matches, frankly.” Southgate heads into England’s final home match of 2023 without a glut of key players, with five withdrawing, two absent for part of this week and three new faces brought in. Rico Lewis, Cole Palmer and Ezri Konsa will be dreaming of making their debut, but the likes of Anthony Gordon remain on the outside looking in. The 22-year-old has shone for Newcastle this season and reports have emerged that Scotland are looking to call up the England Under-21 European champion. “He’s a good player,” Southgate said. “He was very good with our Under-21s last year. He’s very close, I have to say. “I like his attitude, I like the way he works so hard for the team. “Of course, I’m sure he was hoping to get a call at this moment, but there are good players playing well in that position on the field. “But I think, like a couple of others, they’ve always got to think a little bit further ahead as to, you know, opportunities that can come up. “I think for somebody like Anthony that’s eminently possible with us.” Read More Steve Clarke praises Scotland for keeping their heads after late draw in Georgia You’re getting smashed to pieces – Tyson Fury unleashes tirade at Oleksandr Usyk ‘Great spectacle of cricket’ – Australia relishing World Cup final against India Mallory Franklin: Kayak cross unknowns add to excitement ahead of Olympic debut Jarell Quansah keen to become ‘top centre-back’ after Liverpool breakthrough Liam Dawson sees promise in fellow spinner Rehan Ahmed but calls for patience

Scotland manager Steve Clarke praised his side for keeping their cool and using Georgia’s time-wasting “shenanigans” to their advantage after Lawrence Shankland headed a stoppage-time equaliser in Tbilisi. Georgia twice took the lead through the impressive Napoli attacker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but late call-up Shankland earned Scotland a 2-2 draw when he headed home fellow substitute Stuart Armstrong’s cross two minutes into added time. Despite Scotland having already sealed their Euro 2024 place and Georgia knowing they face a play-off in March, there was a real competitive edge to the game, with three yellow cards for each team and a melee in each half. Clarke felt his side reacted well to some lengthy stoppages for treatment to home players and took advantage of the eight minutes added on. Clarke said: “That’s one of the challenges when you come here, you know they will do everything they can to get a positive result. “You have to react to that. We have to make sure we control ourselves and don’t get involved, don’t encourage any sort of shenanigans. “We just kept going, kept plugging away, we knew there was going to be extra time because now they have a better handle on time wasted, and it was nice to score in injury time.” Shankland was dropped from the squad last month but responded by hitting five goals in his last five games for Hearts. And the striker seized the chance presented by Che Adams’ withdrawal. Clarke said: “When you are going into the last 10 minutes, and knowing we would get a lot of injury time because Georgia spent a lot of time on the floor, we knew there was time left. “We needed a goal and you know Lawrence has always got a chance of getting a goal. I am delighted for Lawrence and delighted for the team as well.” Scott McTominay had earlier netted in the 49th minute as Scotland improved after a slack first half. The late goal ended a run of three defeats and a losing run in Tbilisi. “If you can’t win the game, don’t lose,” Clarke said. “We did that and showed good character to come from behind twice here in a difficult place. “Georgia are a good team with one exceptional player in Kvaratskhelia. He got two great goals and made it difficult for our defenders. “Overall we got lots of shots on goal, we could have been a little bit more clinical, only five on target with the 16 or 17 shots we had. But we showed resilience and it was important not to lose. “We knew coming here would be tough. Scotland had been here twice before and didn’t score, lost both games. So we knew it would be a tough game. “We wanted to come here and hopefully get back to winning ways, but we have broken that run of defeats and we will look to build on that in the Norway game on Sunday. We will look to finish with a good performance and a home win.” Georgia head coach Willy Sagnol felt some of his players’ lack of game time showed as Scotland dominated after the hour mark. Sagnol said: “I was very happy with the first hour, we did exactly what we wanted to do with and without the ball. “The problem is, we have a lot of talented players, but they don’t always play with their clubs. They sometimes play 15-20 minutes. At some point tiredness will come because they are not used to playing 90 minutes. “We lost a bit with the changes and it’s frustrating to lose a goal in extra time. “But Scotland didn’t steal the point, they played a good match.” Read More You’re getting smashed to pieces – Tyson Fury unleashes tirade at Oleksandr Usyk ‘Great spectacle of cricket’ – Australia relishing World Cup final against India Mallory Franklin: Kayak cross unknowns add to excitement ahead of Olympic debut Jarell Quansah keen to become ‘top centre-back’ after Liverpool breakthrough Liam Dawson sees promise in fellow spinner Rehan Ahmed but calls for patience Expanded Vitality Blast Off will return to kick off new domestic T20 schedule

Mikel Arteta has been charged by the Football Association (FA) over his criticism of the officials after Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle. Arteta described the awarding of Anthony Gordon’s winner, which was subject to a long VAR check, as an “absolute disgrace” and “embarrassing”. His stance was subsequently backed by the club, but referees chief Howard Webb this week insisted that the decision to award the goal was correct. Arteta has now been charged, with the FA alleging that his comments constituted misconduct. “Mikel Arteta has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3.1 following comments that he made in media interviews after Arsenal’s Premier League game against Newcastle United on Saturday 4 November,” said a spokesperson for English football’s governing body. “It’s alleged that his comments constitute misconduct as they are insulting towards match officials and/or detrimental to the game and/or bring the game into disrepute.” Arteta has until Tuesday 21 November to respond to the charge. While the sanctions that Arteta could face are unclear, former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was fined £20,000 after being charged under the same rule last year. Arteta had been riled after Gordon’s goal was cleared despite separate checks for a possible foul and offside, with the VAR also looking to see if the ball had run out of play in the build-up. “Embarrassing, it’s an absolute disgrace, that’s what it is: a disgrace,” Arteta said after the defeat. “There’s so much at stake, we’ve put in so many hours to compete at the highest level and you cannot imagine the amount of messages we’ve had saying this cannot continue. It’s embarrassing. “It’s not acceptable, there’s too much at stake. I don’t want to be in the hands of these people. I don’t know how to feel. I’m wasting my time, we are wasting our time. It’s difficult enough to compete against Newcastle – they are a really good team, but we have to talk about how the hell this goal stood. It’s an absolute disgrace it was allowed. For more than one reason it should not be a goal. “I have been in this country more than 20 years and [the officiating] is nowhere near the level of the best league in the world. I feel sick to be part of this. I feel sick. It’s not a goal, it’s not a goal.” Arsenal travel to Brentford on Saturday 25 November in their next Premier League game. Read More Aaron Ramsdale’s dad criticises Mikel Arteta over No 1 decision Mikel Arteta praises VAR and officials as 10-man Arsenal beat Burnley Mikel Arteta: ‘I’m completely with referees’ Zinchenko volleys ten-man Arsenal past Burnley to go level with Man City Mikel Arteta warns Aaron Ramsdale not to rush decision over Arsenal future Leandro Trossard discusses Arsenal role: ‘I will never back down’

Thousands of Bulgarian football supporters on Thursday took to the streets of the capital, Sofia, in protest over the management of the national football union, a demonstration that eventually turned violent. The Euro 2024 qualifying match between Bulgaria and Hungary fell victim to a bitter dispute between the management of the Bulgarian Football Union and football fans from across the Balkan country. Minutes before the kickoff, fans began to throw makeshift bombs, stones and plastic bottles at the police. After trash cans were set on fire, police responded with water cannons. Media reported that several protesters were injured. The last straw that infuriated the fans, whose anger had been simmering for a long time, came with the union’s decision to play Thursday’s match in front of empty stands at the national stadium in the capital. Some 1,600 police in riot gear were dispatched to secure the area around the empty stadium in downtown Sofia. The Bulgarian national team has failed to qualify for a major tournament for nearly two decades. After the latest two humiliating defeats by Albania and Lithuania in October, fans called for a nationwide protest, blaming the union’s managers for the poor results and calling for their resignations. In previous weeks, soccer fans have been shouting “Resign!” in the 18th minute of every championship match, addressing the president of the Bulgarian Football Union Borislav Mihaylov and his aides, who have been at the helm for the past 18 years. Fearing new riots against his leadership, last week Mihaylov asked Uefa, the governing body of European soccer, to order the game to be played behind closed doors due to exceptional circumstances. “The Bulgarian Football Union has provided Uefa with necessary guarantees from the relevant local authorities and stadium management in Sofia to host the match at the Vasil Levski National Stadium without spectators,” said a Uefa statement. Fans said the union’s move was “unprecedented”, as there is no other case in soccer history where a football union has voluntarily asked to host a football match without fans. The decision fueled anger not only amid Bulgarian fans. The state-run news agency BTA reported that many Hungarians with tickets decided to travel to Bulgaria regardless of whether they would be allowed into the stadium. As they had already planned their trip, they intended to join the Bulgarian fans’ protest, according to BTA. AP Read More Arteta charged by FA over criticism of officials after Newcastle defeat Lawrence Shankland’s last-gasp leveller rescues point for Scotland in Georgia Saudi Pro League sets sights on world’s best players Arteta charged by FA over criticism of officials after Newcastle defeat Lawrence Shankland’s last-gasp leveller rescues point for Scotland in Georgia Saudi Pro League sets sights on world’s best players

The Green Bay Packers could shake up the QB position if the goal is to contend in 2024. Here are a few realistic names to watch out for.

Audiences thought the actor reprised his role as George McFly in the ‘Back to the Future’ sequels. But Glover had never stepped foot on set.