List of All Articles with Tag 'tb'

Virtual reality could help footballers improve their heading without the repetitive head impacts from a ball, a new study indicates. Players involved in a study at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Institute of Sport and its Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences demonstrated greater performance in ‘real world’ heading after training with a VR headset compared to a control group who did no training. The VR group also reported greater self-confidence and efficacy in their heading compared to the control group, the study found. Our findings show that virtual reality (VR) based training can be used to improve real-world heading performance. Dr Ben Marshall, Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Sport The study, titled: ‘A preliminary investigation into the efficacy of training soccer heading in immersive virtual reality’, has been published in the journal Virtual Reality on Tuesday. It provides some insights into how players may be able to improve heading technique amid restrictions on training. Football Association guidelines advise against any heading training in under-12s, while a trial is ongoing in the current season and next season to eliminate deliberate heading completely from matches up to and including that age group. At ages 12 and 13, heading should be limited to a single session of no more than five headers, and no more than 10 headers per session for children aged 14 to 17, according to FA guidance. Even in adult football at all levels, players are advised to perform only 10 ‘higher force headers’ per training week, such as headers from crosses, corners, free-kicks and returning of goal kicks. The exposure to heading has been limited because of concerns over the sub-concussive impact of repetitive heading on a player’s longer-term wellbeing. The 2019 FIELD Study found professional footballers were three and a half times more likely to die of neurodegenerative disease than age-matched members of the general population. “With increasing restrictions of heading exposure to professional and youth soccer, it is evident that alternative methods for training heading confidence and technique will be required while it remains an integral part of the game,” the VR paper concluded. “The work presented here provides some initial evidence suggesting that immersive VR may have a place in any new approach to training this important skill.” A group of 36 adult recreational-level players, made up of 30 men and six women, participated in the study in total. The 36 were split into two groups of 18, with 16 men and two women in the control group who did not use the VR headsets between ‘real world’ heading sessions, and 14 men and four women in the VR group. The VR group used the Oculus Quest 2 head-mounted display, with the Rezzil Player 22 application used to provide the VR football heading training. Dr Ben Marshall, Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the Manchester Metropolitan University Institute of Sport, said: “Our findings show that virtual reality (VR) based training can be used to improve real-world heading performance and that this method is more effective than not training the skill at all. “This is important as current training guidelines recommend limiting the number of physical headers performed in training for all age groups due to the associated long-term risks to player health. “Our findings suggest the inclusion of VR-based training could play an important role in developing football heading skills whilst reducing the number of real-world headers and sub-concussive head impacts that players need to be exposed to – which is really positive.”

Lincoln Riley just pulled in five new commitments in just over 48 hours, swiping favored recruits from rivals across the country after a mega recruiting weekend.What do Kameryn Fountain from Georgia, Manasse Itete and Dakoda Fields from California, Jarvis Boatwright from Florida and Hayden Trete...

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After decades of development and $200 million spent, Procter & Gamble thought they had the perfect snack food additive with olestra. Too bad it caused “rectal urgency.”

Leicester have confirmed seven players will depart the club at the end of their contracts in June, including Caglar Soyuncu and Daniel Amartey. The announcement comes following the Foxes’ relegation to the Championship on the final day of the Premier League season last month. Turkish defender Soyuncu joined in 2018 from Freiburg and has featured over 100 times for Leicester, while fellow centurion Amartey made his first appearances for the club during their Premier League title-winning season in 2016. Youri Tielemans is also among those leaving, having announced his exit on Instagram last week after spending four years with the club since joining from Monaco in 2019. Nampalys Mendy, Ryan Bertrand, Ayoze Perez and Tete are the remaining players who are to leave the King Power following the expiration of their contracts. Captain Jonny Evans remains in discussions with the Foxes as his contract is set to expire this month, while an option has been exercised to extend Hamza Choudhury’s contract to June 2024. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has agreed to become Tottenham’s new manager on a two-year contract, according to reports. The 57-year-old told Celtic principal shareholder Dermot Desmond on Saturday night of his decision to leave the Glasgow club and has now agreed a deal in principle with Spurs, with the option to extend. Former Australia head coach Postecoglou admitted on Saturday, after Celtic’s Scottish FA Cup final win over Inverness had secured them the domestic treble, that his celebrations would soon be disrupted. Neither club have commented but reports claim an announcement will be made when the finer details of the contract have been finalised. Tottenham have been searching for a permanent new manager since sacking Antonio Conte in March, with first Cristian Stellini and then Ryan Mason placed in temporary charge. When repeatedly pressed on his future after Celtic’s 3-1 Hampden win over Inverness on Saturday, Postecoglou said: “I anticipate enjoying this moment for the next 24-48 hours, as long as I can, before someone drags me away and takes my attention away from enjoying something that’s been hard-earned. “The reality is, there’s probably players in that dressing room who won’t be here next year. That’s the nature of football. “But I want them to enjoy it, I am going to enjoy it, and that’s all I am going to focus on until someone grabs me by the collar and tells me that I have to answer certain questions.” He has won five domestic trophies out of a possible six after arriving from Yokohama F Marinos in 2021 and was linked with numerous Premier League clubs throughout this season. Postecoglou became a hero with the Celtic support, not just for resuming their success after a barren season, but also for implementing an attacking style of play and his connection with the fans. But he looks set to swap Glasgow for another rebuild job as Spurs finally look to appoint Conte’s permanent successor after the Italian’s departure on March 26. Postecoglou is due to go on a family holiday on Tuesday and a deal could be finalised quickly. Tottenham failed to qualify for European football next season for the first time since 2009-10 after an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League. Former Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers has emerged as an unlikely favourite to succeed Postecoglou at Celtic, four years after leaving the club mid-season to take over at Leicester. Assistant manager John Kennedy is also high up the list but reports claim Postecoglou hopes to take the former Celtic defender to Tottenham. Read More Ange Postecoglou: Who is he and what can Tottenham fans expect? Celtic win Scottish Cup to seal treble as Ange Postecoglou faces questions on future Hugo Lloris contemplating Tottenham exit as he has ‘desire for other things’ Ange Postecoglou: Who is he and what can Tottenham fans expect? Ange Postecoglou agrees to leave Celtic for Tottenham – reports Celtic win Scottish Cup to clinch domestic treble

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Kevin De Bruyne does not believe Manchester City are favourites to beat Inter Milan in the Champions League final and secure the win they need to complete the treble. City are well fancied to beat the Serie A side on Saturday in Istanbul and become the first English club to win all three major trophies in a single season since Manchester United in 1999. They moved a step closer on Saturday by adding the FA Cup to the Premier League title already won, with Ilkay Gundogan’s goals helping Pep Guardiola’s side to a 2-1 victory against United at Wembley. Until now Guardiola and his players have largely sidestepped any talk of matching their city rivals’ feat of 24 years ago. But after the cup final victory, De Bruyne acknowledged how close he and his team-mates were to a remarkable achievement, yet stopped short of saying they were favourites to beat Inter. “There was belief anyway but there was no point talking about it before,” he said. “We know now. I want to win the Champions League and I want to win the treble but we were getting ready to win this game (against United). “We deserved to win. I am very happy and very proud. We should enjoy next week and hopefully we can perform the best we can. “Inter are a very good team. Finals are 50-50. We were favourites today. It is always difficult. You have to manage these moments. There will be moments when it is tough but in the big moments we try to do our job. “Inter have great players and we have respect for them. They haven’t got to the final by beating easy teams.” De Bruyne will be looking to exorcise personal demons from the last time he played in a Champions League final, fracturing an eye socket and breaking his nose as City went down 1-0 against Chelsea in an all-Premier League final in Porto. “That is football,” he said. “I have never broken anything in my life and I come out of the Champions League final with a broken nose, a broken eye socket and concussion. “It happens. There is nothing more I can do. I wished it was better but it wasn’t.” Guardiola’s team were knocked out in the last four by Real Madrid last season despite holding a two-goal aggregate lead going into the final moments of the second leg. I want to win the Champions League and I want to win the treble Kevin De Bruyne The Champions League is the only major honour that still eludes the club, with Guardiola not having lifted the trophy since his second triumph with Barcelona in 2011. Asked if he believed City were finally ready to take the next step in Europe, De Bruyne said: “I can answer that question next week. “I don’t see it that way. We have performed really well. We have been in so many quarter and semi-finals and two finals. We have been there most of the time. “Depends who you ask (whether City need to win in Europe to earn recognition). Most of the guys have been incredible anyway. Will it help, yes. “But one 90 minutes doesn’t define a career. I am on around 700 games. One 90 minutes out of 700 doesn’t define my career. But obviously it helps.”

The Saudi sovereign wealth fund which owns Newcastle has taken majority stakes in four of the Middle Eastern country’s biggest clubs, including Cristiano Ronaldo’s team Al Nassr. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) is taking 75 per cent stakes in Al Nassr, Asian Champions League finalists Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad, who are understood to be interested in signing Karim Benzema after his intention to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season was confirmed. The PIF also own an 80 per cent stake in Newcastle following the completion of a protracted and controversial takeover in October 2021. Sources close to the fund have told the PA news agency that the move to take controlling stakes in the four Saudi clubs does not constitute the creation of a multi-club ownership model involving Newcastle. Each club will be managed by an independent board and have separate executive management, the sources said. Clubs in the Saudi top flight, who have technically been owned by the country’s Ministry of Sport until now, are being privatised as part of a government initiative to help the sport further develop. FIFA has been approached for comment on the issue. A statement on the PIF Twitter account read: “As part of today’s announcement of the Sports Clubs Investment and Privatization Project, four Saudi clubs – Al Ittihad, Al Ahli, Al Nassr, and Al Hilal – have been transformed into companies, each of which is owned by PIF and non-profit foundations for each club.” PIF said existing members of each club would be included in the four foundations and that the fund was working closely with the Ministry of Sport on the necessary regulatory procedures to complete the clubs’ transfers to their new structures as newly-founded companies alongside non-profit foundations. “The transfer of the four clubs will unleash various commercial opportunities, including investment, partnership and sponsorships across numerous sports,” the PIF statement concluded. The Saudi government said in a release from the country’s national press agency issued earlier on Monday that it hoped that as well as further bolstering participation in sport at grassroots level, the move to privatisation would raise the league’s revenues from 450million riyals (£96.7m) last year to 1.8 billion riyals (£386.7m) and increase its market value to more than 8bn riyals (£1.72bn) by 2030. The extent to which the Saudi government controls Newcastle came back into the spotlight in February this year after the publication of court documents in the US. The Premier League approved the PIF-led takeover of the club only after receiving “legally-binding assurances” that the Saudi state would not have control of the club. However, documents from PIF’s legal team published in a court case related to the LIV Golf and PGA Tour dispute described PIF as “a sovereign instrumentality of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” and PIF governor and Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan as “a sitting minister of the Saudi government”. The Premier League has declined to comment on whether it had opened an investigation following the publication of the court documents. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Andy Murray determined to show he remains among the elite on grass courts Ange Postecoglou: Who is he and what can Tottenham fans expect? Alfie Hewett adapting to his new status as the man to beat in wheelchair tennis

Ange Postecoglou appears set to leave Celtic and take over at Tottenham. Spurs fans appear to be split on the selection with some questioning his pedigree, but that will not faze the single-minded 57-year-old. So what do Tottenham supporters need to know about their prospective new boss? – Who is Ange Postecoglou? The Australian, who emigrated from Greece at the age of four, won two titles as a South Melbourne player, where he worked under Real Madrid great Ferenc Puskas, and won four Australia caps before injury forced him to move into coaching at a young age. – What success has he achieved?Postecoglou led South Melbourne to two titles as manager in his early 30s and then spent seven years coaching Australia’s youth teams. He burst back on to the domestic scene, leading Brisbane Roar from finishing bottom of the A-League to consecutive Grand Final victories in 2011 and 2012, with the help of a record 36-game unbeaten run. He took charge of Australia at the 2014 World Cup, won the Asian Cup the following year and led his country to 2018 World Cup qualification before taking charge of Yokohama F Marinos, guiding them to their first J-League title in 15 years in 2019. – And how about in Scotland? He won five out of six domestic trophies during his two years in charge of Celtic, including a treble in what appears to have been his final campaign. European football was the missing piece of the jigsaw. However, Celtic generally performed well in the Champions League this past season – against Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk – while squandering chances that should have got them more than two points on their return to the elite stage. – Does he have the experience for the Premier League? Postecoglou addressed the fact there was a mixed response to his appointment as Celtic manager and was also unfazed by the fact a deal for Eddie Howe had fallen through. “You’re assuming I was second choice, I might have been fifth choice, you never know,” he said at his unveiling. “It doesn’t really bother me. What’s important is that I have been given the responsibility and opportunity.” He also dismissed suggestions he was making a “jump” in standard. “I have coached at a World Cup, I have coached against some of the best teams in the world,” he said. He will not be concerned by the reaction to his Tottenham appointment given his total focus and belief in his process. – What style of football does he employ? Postecoglou has matched success with an attacking style and prides himself on building teams that get people talking and excite the fans. Celtic scored a post-war club record 114 league goals this past season. His goalkeeper will need to pass the ball out, his centre-backs get on the front foot and are aggressive, while he employs inverted full-backs. His team played with two attacking central midfielders and two wingers who have to get in front of goal when balls come in from the other flank, while the centre-forward can expect plenty of chances. His mantra is “we never stop” and even the Celtic ball attendants are in tune with his demand to keep the game moving. – What kind of manager is he? Postecoglou has spoken of his love of a challenge and building something special from scratch. “Just about every job I have had has been an extensive rebuild,” he once said. “Usually you come in when people are needing change. Secondly, the way I get my teams to play is challenging, and requires a major shift, usually both in playing staff and the way we work.” He exerted control over a number of areas of the football department at Celtic and oversaw a massive rebuild while winning the title against a Rangers side who finished 25 points ahead the previous season and reached a European final in his first Scottish campaign. He quickly won respect from Celtic players and fostered a culture of togetherness but also takes a step back from them and lets the dressing room run itself on match days. Australia international Ryan McGowan remarked how he sat next to Postecoglou on a long-haul flight in total silence as his manager does not want to be swayed by personal relationships when making decisions. – What relationship can Tottenham fans expect to have with their manager-in-waiting? Celtic fans bought into their manager’s style of play, how he represented the club and stood up for it in the media, although he very rarely talked about referee decisions. He also understood how important the club is to people’s lives and used that as a motivation. They gave him total backing in return, although success is obviously paramount to that. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Alfie Hewett adapting to his new status as the man to beat in wheelchair tennis Where might Lionel Messi go next after Paris St Germain spell ends? Ange Postecoglou agrees to leave Celtic for Tottenham – reports

Liverpool are closing in on Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister. The 24-year-old’s father, Carlos, who acts as his representative, arrived at the weekend for talks regarding the World Cup winner’s future. It is understood the Argentina international has a release clause, believed to be between £45million and £55m, in a contract he only signed in October and Liverpool are close to triggering that. Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi admitted last month he is already resigned to losing a player who was key in securing their first European participation with a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League, just five points behind Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp is looking to rebuild a midfield which misfired this season and Mac Allister has been a long-term target, with James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain departing at the end of their contracts. Liverpool were also interested in Mason Mount, entering the final 12 months of his contract at Chelsea, but Manchester United appear to be the front-runners and Klopp does not want to get into a protracted – and often expensive – process so has moved on to other players. The Reds have been linked with Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch, Nice’s Khephren Thuram and Borussia Monchengladbach’s Manu Kone and will be looking to get their business done early in time for the start of pre-season on July 8. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Lionel Messi’s two-year spell at Paris St Germain ended in a 3-2 home defeat to Clermont Foot at the weekend. An option to extend his stay with the Ligue 1 champions has not been activated with the Argentina World Cup winner heavily linked with a return to Barcelona, although he does have other alternatives. Here, the PA news agency looks at where the 35-year-old seven-time Ballon d’Or winner might go next. Barcelona Considering Messi never really wanted to leave and was effectively forced out as the club’s financial problems meant they could not afford to renew his contract, due to wage cap issues, a return to his spiritual home in Catalonia, the Nou Camp seems the obvious choice. Even last summer, club president Joan Laporta said it was the club’s responsibility to “find a moment to fix that chapter” so it has “a more beautiful ending”. However, despite losing the long-serving Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba off the wage bill for next season, the club still have to cut costs to satisfy LaLiga and that remains a huge stumbling block. Al Hilal One place where money is not an issue is Saudi Arabia – for whom Messi is already a tourism ambassador – and the Saudi Pro League has already attracted Cristiano Ronaldo to Al Nassr this year. He has been linked with Al Hilal, who would have no problems enhancing his net annual salary of £31million, but Ronaldo’s experience since arriving five months ago, with reports suggesting he is not happy, may influence Messi’s thinking and a year after winning the World Cup, he may not be ready to step away from the limelight. Inter Miami While not an elite-level club, David Beckham’s Inter Miami has long been touted as a final destination for the South American and if he were to move to the United States, he would become Major League Soccer’s highest-profile signing and highest-paid player in history. Messi, who has a home in Miami, has spoken in the past of wanting to play in America and the lifestyle in Florida – which has a large Hispanic community – would appeal. He would, however, again have to accept his days at the very highest level are over and also have to accept a significant pay cut. Manchester City It seems slightly more fanciful for Messi to consider a reunion with his former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium. While that move would be based on mutual respect and emotional ties, it could be argued Messi needs the all-conquering Premier League champions, who could win a treble if they beat Inter Milan in Saturday’s Champions League final, more than City do. They are probably the only English club who could afford him but it is debatable whether they would want to invite that extra scrutiny, with more than 100 Premier League charges regarding financial fair play already hanging over them.