List of All Articles with Tag 'tb'

Paul Finebaum really likes what Hugh Freeze has done since taking over the Auburn program.It has been a long time since the Auburn Tigers were ... the Auburn Tigers in the SEC landscape.Paul Finebaum made a career for himself covering the two Alabama programs of note in The Yellowhammer Stat...

Kentucky coach John Calipari posted a touching tribute to his friend and peer Denny Crum, Louisville's legendary college basketball coach.When Louisville Cardinals coach Denny Crum passed away on Tuesday, the college basketball community came together to celebrate Crum's storied life a...

Real Madrid host the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Manchester City as they continue to chase another European trophy. Having lost the La Liga title to Barcelona, Carlo Ancelotti’s side are targeting European glory to ensure their season ends on a high but they will face tough competition against Manchester City. Los Blancos have already progressed beyond two English clubs in the knockout rounds, beating Liverpool and Chelsea, and are looking to claim a third Premier League scalp on their way to the final. Manchester City, meanwhile, are in outstanding form and desperately covet the continental crown that has so far eluded them. Pep Guardiola’s men are still on the hunt for a potential treble (Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup) this season. To get to the Istanbul final, though, they will have to get past the defending champions, with Carlo Ancelotti’s serial winners back in the last four and likely to provide a stern test. Follow all the action as Real Madrid host Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals: Read More Manchester City not motivated by revenge against Real Madrid, Pep Guardiola claims Pep Guardiola ready to stare down his managerial nemesis once again Man City vs Real Madrid is the ‘real’ Champions League final

Fulham boss Marco Silva praised his captain Tom Cairney after watching him score two goals in the thumping win over Leicester on Monday. Cairney has made only 23 starts in the Premier League this season but took full advantage of his inclusion against the relegation-threatened Foxes, registering his first league goals of the campaign and putting in a fine all-round performance. The 32-year-old swept in his side’s third goal of a 5-3 rout of Dean Smith’s team on the stroke of half-time, before adding his second after the break with a deft first touch and finish from Kenny Tete’s cross. It kept Fulham in the hunt to register their highest-ever points tally in the Premier League, with two wins needed from their final three matches to break the club record of 53 set by Roy Hodgson’s team in 2009. Silva said he was pleased to see Cairney working in midfield to help the team out of possession while also instilling the calm in the first half that ultimately helped them to sweep away Leicester before the break. “Tom is always a player that can give us the calmness to start the game, even some moments under pressure he can give us what we need,” said Silva. “Of course he knows I am pushing him to arrive in certain areas, to be between the lines. “In some moments, first and second phase, we need players like him to start well, but when the game goes forward and we are in our defensive half, we need him to arrive in certain areas as well. “Two great finishes, two great goals from him. Top quality player. We know his quality on the ball, everything that he can do. “I’m pleased to see him working hard off the ball, understanding the moments, understanding the moments to press higher with Vini (Carlos Vinicius), the moments that he should drop to help the other midfielders as well. It was a very good performance from him and I’m really pleased for him. “He deserves it and he’s having a good season, even if he’s not playing every time from the start. All of the last season for him has been good.” The victory ended a run of three straight losses that had effectively ended Fulham’s hopes of qualifying for Europe next season. Despite the disappointment, Silva remained optimistic that they can still record the club’s best tally for a top-flight season. They will have Aleksandar Mitrovic back for the trip to struggling Southampton on Saturday and will relegate Saints with a victory, before hosting Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage and finishing with a visit to Old Trafford to play Manchester United. “It’s really important we don’t hide that it’s our clear goal to achieve the target points that we want, to make the season even to be more brilliant, if I can say,” said Silva. “We want really to finish the season with a big stamp, and the stamp will be to get that certain amount of points. We are going to fight for it definitely. “We don’t know if it’s going to happen. But we are going to work hard and fight really hard and to enjoy to embrace the challenge to achieve it.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Former captains Stuart Hogg and Stuart McInally named in Scotland training squad Dwight McNeil says ‘nothing is done yet’ despite Everton’s huge win at Brighton A closer look at this season’s play-off contenders as promotion battle resumes

Arsenal are hoping to announce Bukayo Saka’s new contract before the end of the Premier League season. The England forward has been in talks with the club since last year but is committed to signing a new deal, which could now be sewn up before the summer break. Saka, 21, has played a pivotal role in the Gunners’ title challenge this season and is the only Premier League player to reach double figures for goals and assists. He has hit 13 goals and laid on 11 assists to help Mikel Arteta’s side to second place and remain in the title hunt heading into the final weeks of the campaign. Saka has missed just an hour of league football this season and also hit three goals at the World Cup as England made it to the quarter-finals in Qatar. Talks with Arsenal over fresh terms have stretched back to last summer, with Saka saying in August he “shared confidence” with Arteta that he would extend his deal at the Emirates Stadium. The PA news agency understands an agreement has all-but been reached for a new contract for the academy graduate, whose last deal was signed in the summer of 2020 and expires next year. It is believed promotional footage to be released alongside the announcement has already been completed and it is a matter or working through the finer details before the deal is finalised. While Saka is close to committing his long-term future to Arsenal, Granit Xhaka could be on the move this summer. It is understood the club would be willing to let the Switzerland captain, whose deal also expires in 2024, move on if they receive an offer they deem acceptable. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is a big fan of cutting his own grass because, of course, he is.While he could pay somebody else to do it, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is his own lawn care service.Harbaugh may be pushing 60, but he is forever youthful at heart. After all, he brings his ...

Everton winger Dwight McNeil cautioned against premature celebrations despite his side taking a significant step towards Premier League safety. McNeil’s second-half brace helped the Toffees climb out of the relegation zone with an emphatic 5-1 away win at Brighton on Monday to move them one place and two points clear of 18th-placed Leicester. While taking all three points from Roberto De Zerbi’s side provided a considerable boost, McNeil quickly diverted his attention to Everton’s remaining fixtures. “Winning on the road is massive for our confidence within the camp, especially going forward into our final three games,” he told the club website. “Now we are out of the relegation zone, we have a massive game coming up Sunday, then after that, the last two games are massive as well. We have to rest up now and get ready for that big game on Sunday. “It’s massive to be out of the relegation zone, but we know nothing is done yet. We have got to go right to the end and get more points on the board and that’s what we want to do.” Just three points separate 16th-placed Nottingham Forest and second-from-bottom Leeds. Everton will look to dampen another club’s ambitions when they host Premier League leaders Manchester City on Sunday before encounters with Wolves and Bournemouth to close out the campaign. Boss Sean Dyche was full of praise for former Burnley man McNeil, who picked up an assist for one of Abdoulaye Doucoure’s two goals against Brighton, while it was his cross that ultimately led to Jason Steele’s own goal. Dyche said: “I’ve said keep going, keep driving forwards, because he does it so well. He can cross the ball and as you saw he can deliver calm finishes. His two finishes were terrific. “It’s just another sign of what he’s got. I think he’s got a lot, to be honest, but I do about a lot of these players, when they’re on the edge and they’re all playing well and they’re full of confidence, but you have to build confidence and I think he’s been building his confidence levels and his performances.” Brighton boss De Zerbi, meanwhile, encouraged his side to quickly move on from the defeat as they continue to target a place in Europe next season. While it looks likely that seventh will be good enough for a Europa Conference League berth – a permutation thanks in part to the all-Manchester FA Cup final – De Zerbi wants his men to aim higher and refocus their mindset. He said: “What you did in the past is not important, it doesn’t count, and we are Brighton. We have become Brighton. We won against Liverpool, against Manchester United, against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup, against Chelsea. “Not because there is a top coach, not because there are top players, [but] because we showed pride, we showed courage, energy, patience, and I’m sure we will show for a long time.”

A dramatic final weekend of the Football League campaign set up a series of intriguing play-off ties as the remaining promotion contenders gear up for one last push. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the combatants in the Sky Bet Championship, League One and League Two as the semi-finals loom. The Championship Sunderland v Luton Sunderland went into their final-day trip to Preston knowing even victory might not be enough to edge them into the play-offs, but a 3-0 victory, coupled with Millwall’s remarkable capitulation at home to Blackburn, saw them snatch sixth place to keep alive their unlikely hopes of back-to-back promotions. Under Tony Mowbray, who replaced Alex Neil at the helm in August, they are unbeaten in nine and finished the regular season – during which star striker Ross Stewart was largely absent and they were without a recognised central defender – strongly to give themselves a chance to exorcise the ghost of successive relegations from the Premier League to League One. Luton, who have not played in the top flight since 1992, were already assured of third place and their play-off berth before Monday’s 0-0 home draw with Hull, which extended their unbeaten run to 14 games. Indeed, Rob Edwards’ men, who boast dyed-in-the-wool Wearsider Mick Harford among their backroom staff, have lost only once in the league since January 14 and climbed from 10th place into the top three after the former Watford manager’s appointment as Nathan Jones’ replacement in November. Coventry v Middlesbrough When Mark Robins accepted the hotseat at Coventry in March 2017, the club was hurtling into League Two and faced an uncertain future amid deepening financial problems. He has since guided them back up the pyramid to within touching distance of the Premier League, where they last played during the 200-01 season, after a run of 17 games which included just a single defeat and ended with Monday’s 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough. Former Manchester United and England star Michael Carrick, who was on the books at Boro as a youngster, inherited a team which had won just four of its first 16 league games and was languishing inside the relegation zone when he replaced Chris Wilder in October. Carrick has overseen a concerted drive up the table, fuelled in large part by revitalised 28-goal striker Chuba Akpom, which at one point saw the club flirt with automatic promotion. League One Peterborough v Sheffield Wednesday Peterborough’s last-gasp surge into the play-offs represents a triumph for persistence. Manager Darren Ferguson, who resigned in February last year with the club slipping inexorably towards the Championship exit, returned for a fourth spell in charge in January following successor Grant McCann’s departure. Sunday’s 2-0 win at Barnsley enabled Posh to leapfrog Derby into sixth place with a helping hand from Wednesday, who beat the Rams 1-0. Owls boss Darren Moore, however, will hope that is as far as his side’s charity extends having seen them finish 19 points clear of their semi-final opponents and just two adrift of second-placed Ipswich. They lost out to Sunderland at the same stage last season and will head into their latest two-legged appointment on the back of a four-game winning run. Bolton v Barnsley Bolton’s quest for a return to the second tier for the first time since 2019 caps a season of real positivity after a difficult spell in the club’s history. Promoted from the fourth tier two seasons ago, Ian Evatt’s men have lost only one of their last 10 games in all competitions, a sequence of results which includes a 4-0 Papa Johns Trophy final victory over League One champions Plymouth. Relegated from the Championship at the end of last season – having won just six of their 46 games a year after reaching the play-offs – Barnsley are looking to make an immediate return under Michael Duff. They rather limped over the line, taking just a point from their final three fixtures with runners-up Ipswich and fast-finishing Peterborough both winning at Oakwell. League Two Salford v Stockport Salford, famously backed by Manchester United’s Class of ’92, survived a final-day scare as they clung on to the final play-off spot despite a 1-0 home defeat by Gillingham. Led by former United Academy coach Neil Wood, the Ammies have made it to the end-of-season festivities for the first time since their emergence from the National League in 2019. Stockport boss Dave Challinor is targeted a third-successive promotion have steered County back into the Football League last season having done the same with Hartlepool 12 months earlier. They missed out on automatic promotion to Northampton on Monday after a 1-1 home draw with already-relegated Pool, but are unbeaten in 13. Bradford v Carlisle There are few bigger managerial names in the lower leagues than that of Bradford boss Mark Hughes, but the Bantams are going to have to do it the hard way if they are to make it back to the third tier. They won only one of their last five regular season fixtures – although drew 1-1 with champions Orient to seal their play-off place – and failed to score in either game against the Cumbrians. Carlisle’s 1-1 draw with Sutton ensured their continued participation, although their form too is patchy with only two wins in their last 11 games. Paul Simpson, the man who took the club from the Conference to League One in successive seasons during his first spell as boss, is back in charge having successfully fought his own battle with kidney cancer and hopes are high for a significant upturn. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Wales international Dan Lydiate seals return to the Dragons ahead of next season Ben Davies impressed by caretaker boss Ryan Mason’s impact at Tottenham Alpine’s Sophia Floersch sets sights on F1 after recovering from fractured spine

Tottenham defender Ben Davies has talked up Ryan Mason’s positive influence on the squad. Mason claimed his first victory during his second caretaker spell in charge of Spurs with Saturday’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace. It occurred after the 31-year-old had tweaked the tactics used by his old boss Antonio Conte, who repeatedly stuck with a 3-4-3 system. Tottenham lined up in a 4-4-2 out of possession and it helped them keep a first clean sheet in the Premier League since February 26 with more confidence restored to a group who have experienced crushing defeats to Bournemouth, Newcastle and Liverpool in the past month. “It’s something we’re all well aware of and one that we needed for a long time. It’s a good start for us and hopefully we can kick on for the final games now,” Davies said of the shut-out against Palace. “It’s not the easiest situation to come into (for Ryan). We’ve got limited amount of games so it’s hard for him to come in and completely change things and do it his own way. “But there’s been a clear message that we need to be as good as we can with the ball and tighten up without it. “It’s pretty basic but that’s the way we’ve been training and working. Ryan’s instilled that belief in us that we’re able to do that.” Davies, who has largely played left of a back three this season, was used as a full-back last weekend before being asked to push higher up the pitch when Spurs attacked. It's pretty basic but that's the way we've been training and working. Ryan's instilled that belief in us that we're able to do that Ben Davies on Ryan Mason On the right wing was January recruit Pedro Porro and it was the Spain international who set up Harry Kane’s winner to help make up for some poor defensive showings at St James’ Park and Anfield recently. Davies added: “Pedro is still a young player. We know the intensity and scrutiny of the Premier League, you make one little mistake and it’s highlighted for the world to see. “Look, we all know how good a player he is. We’ve seen it on the training pitch. When you iron out those mistakes I think we’ve got a top player on our hands. “Sometimes when you’re new to the club and the Premier League, you probably feel a lot of demand, especially when it comes to the transfer fee, to try to impress. “Sometimes it’s about making sure you do the basics and do the simple things right first. I think he did that. He defended well and then when he got the opportunity (to attack) he was good.” Tottenham’s win over Palace moved them up to sixth and kept them on course to qualify for a European competition. “Our aspiration is to play European football and be involved in as many competitions as we can,” Davies insisted. “We have the squad, we have the number of players, so it’s probably necessary that we are. “Our aim is to go as far as we can in every competition. Any European competition is important for us.”

James Ward-Prowse knows how bleak Southampton’s plight is after a 4-3 defeat at Nottingham Forest left them staring Premier League relegation in the face. Saints were on the wrong end of a seven-goal thriller at the City Ground which means they will lose their top-flight status if they fail to beat Fulham on Saturday or results elsewhere go against them. They were always in the game against Forest and looked dangerous in attack, but were let down by sloppy defending. “It hurts everybody,” the captain told the club’s official website. “It’s not just me, it’s everybody’s careers, it’s everybody’s opportunity to do something special for this club and it’s not just me, it hurts everybody, it hurts all the fans and everybody associated with the club. “It’s clear we have to win all of our games and that’s the position we find ourselves in. Like I said, every game has increased importance and the challenge hasn’t changed, we have to win our games and obviously hope everything goes our way and we have to focus on the next one now. “Games are won and lost at both ends of the pitch and when you give two goals away in the way that we did, and we scored three goals but it’s still not enough and I think that says a lot about where we are as a team at the minute. “It’s been too easy. Right from the first game against Spurs until now we’ve not really learned anything, not really progressed, we’ve just taken these results as they are and that’s the most disappointing thing. “When you keep doing the same thing and keep getting the same results, we’ve not learnt from it and that’s the frustrating thing.” Forest’s picture is much brighter after a second win in three games lifted them out of the bottom three. It was another impressive atmosphere at the City Ground, where Forest have now taken 27 of their 33 points this season. And boss Steve Cooper hailed the fans’ support. “We’re so lucky to play in front of these supporters as well,” Cooper said. “They don’t half drag us over the line when we need them. I’m just so glad they leave happy with the three points.” Forest looked scintillating in attack at times with Taiwo Awoniyi, Brennan Johnson, Morgan Gibbs-White and Danilo all combining with effect. Cooper added: “We showed great quality with the goals we scored. The first goal, in particular, was some of our technical, attacking, athletic players playing at their very best on that fast attack. “I’m really pleased with some of the attacking play and the goals. We didn’t cover ourselves in glory with the goals we conceded.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Chelsea could use Christian Pulisic ‘to lure’ Victor Osimhen On this day in 2013: David Moyes named as Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd successor Jordan Spieth withdraws from Byron Nelson Classic ahead of PGA Championship

West Virginia's men's basketball head coach Bob Huggins apologized for "insensitive" and "abhorrent" comments he made while appearing on the 700 WLW's Bill Cunningham Show on Monday.

As Pep Guardiola sat down to begin working on the “Johan Cruyff box” that has only further released Erling Haaland in the last few weeks, one of the Catalan’s main concerns was the equation of marrying the Norwegian’s movement with maintaining control in the Champions League. They don’t always seem to fit. Even though he is now blessed with the best goalscorer in the world, “maintaining control in the Champions League’’ governs Guardiola’s thinking in almost everything, and has done for the last few seasons. The Catalan wouldn’t publicly admit that, of course, since he feels it feeds into an unhelpful public narrative about his “obsession” with the competition. That is precisely how senior figures at Manchester City have privately described it, though, and some feel it goes even further. They don’t just think Guardiola wants a third Champions League. They believe he wants the record for the most in history, as should befit someone viewed as perhaps the greatest coach of all time. There is also how much emotional energy he has put in, too. You only have to watch the footage of him theatrically crumpling to the ground as Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior tears down the wing after one minor slip in last season’s semi-final. There is naturally a significant amount of ego in this, but that isn’t said as a criticism. The intensity of the job means elite managers must almost by definition be self-absorbed. It’s close to a prerequisite of getting to the top and staying there. An inherent pride is why so many coaches stay wedded to a style even as the wider game moves past them, because it becomes about proving they still have it. It happened to Arsene Wenger. It happened to Jose Mourinho. It happened to almost everyone, except the figure whose record Guardiola is actually chasing. Carlo Ancelotti also happens to be the manager fittingly standing in the Catalan’s way. The Italian is aiming to extend his record with a fifth Champions League, as Guardiola looks for a long-awaited third. You could understand a certain amount of frustration at that, since it all seems to come so easy to Ancelotti at the same time as Guardiola endures so many long nights of the soul in the Champions League. Last season’s semi-final was another. The Real Madrid manager is frequently asked about the secret of all this by football people, and the answer is instructive. “You have to have no ego,” Ancelotti says. “Listen to your players, ask their opinion, trust them.” Even that seems to go against a lot of the system-led management that the Guardiola era has fostered. It is not the only way Ancelotti has defied the supposedly defining trends of the modern game. Far from obstructing managers like Guardiola, the Italian was supposed to be rendered obsolete. That isn’t just tactical theorising, either. It seemed the reality of their last few roles, especially at Bayern Munich. When Ancelotti succeeded Guardiola at the German club in 2016, the players were staggered at the drop-off in intensity and preparation. It all seemed so lax and lacking in tactical ideas. The seams began to come apart, leading to Ancelotti’s early sacking. This was the way of the game. System prevailed, all the more so when it was intensely applied. If you wanted to go to a higher level, you needed an idea that amplified the whole. Any stars had to subsume themselves to that. Ancelotti instead seemed to be following many other managers from the previous era in receding from the top end of the game. His jobs showed that. He went from the Champions League latter stages to just trying to get into the competition at Napoli and then floating around mid-table with Everton. And yet here he is back at the summit, with an historic Champions League record that Guardiola so wants, as well as the trophy itself. That has all come without wanting to leave any greater imprint on the game. All Ancelotti wants to do is get by, as they got past City last year, to ensure he has four Champions Leagues and Guardiola still only has two. It illustrates that, rather than both representing dividing lines in football history, they represent opposite approaches in a game that still has a lot of blurred lines. That applies to the jobs they both came into most recently. They weren’t the same. The current City football project was specifically constructed for Guardiola, according to his ideals. It is almost the perfect football setting for him. There would be a football symmetry if he was to win the Champions League again by finalising the most modern team with “the box” that won Barcelona their first European Cup in 1992. There was none of this lofty philosophising with Ancelotti’s last appointment. There was a grand project, sure, as the Madrid hierarchy decided they were going to play 4-3-3 for the next decade. Far from being the perfect fit for that, though, Ancelotti was brought back because club president Florentino Perez couldn’t get anyone else. It was little more than a compromise. So, while City were made for Guardiola, Madrid had to make do with Ancelotti. It just so happened he was able to work very well within those constraints. He could adapt superbly to what he was given, which was one of the best young squads in the world. This is another area where the picture is clouded. It isn’t completely wrong to say Ancelotti looked left behind. He didn’t excel at either Napoli or Everton. But he didn’t have what he has now at Madrid. It points to one of many contrasts in this game, one that may decide where the Champions League ends up. It is idealist against pragmatist, as well as collective control against individual moments. Similarly, while Guardiola sets a club’s entire identity, Ancelotti just makes it feel better about itself. The 4-3-3 wasn’t his idea so he just works to make it better as and when required. He knows how to talk to players, enabling them and ensuring they always feel involved. Ancelotti is also said to be the best in the world at the timing of substitutions. Some of that comes from an instinctive feel for how a match is going, “the sense of a game”. It could be seen in last year’s dramatic semi-final comeback, not least when Ancelotti consulted Marcelo and Toni Kroos on the sideline. This is exactly what he meant when he spoke about no ego and listening to players. There’s another blurred line here, though. Ancelotti still had sufficient pride to stop a question at a recent press conference and point out that he does a lot more than man-management. His record speaks to that. It is one that Guardiola would love to claim as his own. This semi-final may go someway to deciding that. Guardiola's "box" may actually bring his career full circle, as it could represent the completeness of his tactical idea and bring a first Champions League title since Barcelona. Such sophisticated re-interpretations of the past have moved football into the future. It's just that one of its most historic figures, in Ancelotti, remains a key part of it. Read More Why Man City vs Real Madrid is the ‘real’ Champions League final The six types of Pep Guardiola full-back, and what each says about Man City’s evolution Is Real Madrid vs Manchester City on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Champions League semi-final