Home Blog Page 252

World champion takes lead in Laser Radial at Irish Sailing Youth Nationals

True to her pre-event billing as the favourite, Howth’s Eve McMahon established an early overall lead in the ILCA 6 event at the Investwise Irish Sailing Youth National Championships on Cork Harbour today.

The ILCA 6 (Laser Radial) Youth World Champion delivered two first places and a second in winds ranging from light to medium on the Curlane Bank racecourse.

Howth Yacht Club’s Rocco Wright took the other race win though had a mixed set of results to lie seventh overall.

Michael Crosbie of the hosting Royal Cork YC leads the chasing pack in seventh but is still some ten points behind McMahon.

Meanwhile, in another strong showing for north Dublin clubs, Malahide’s Imogen Hauer with Hugo Micka have a narrow overnight lead in the 420 class as a tight top three battle is already emerging.  Lough Ree’s Eoghan Duffy with Conor Paul are a point behind the Dublin crew but only on tie-break from Jack McDowell with Henry Thompson, a Malahide and Wexford Harbour combination.

“It was a tricky opening day with a switch in conditions after the first race,” said Sean Evans, Irish Sailing’s Youth Academy Manager. “We had a tidal effect as well which made laylines interesting.

“There were quite a few very strong performances with plenty of battles at the front of the fleet although the result of the day came from Eve McMahon in the ILCA 6 class.”

The four-day event steps up a gear on Friday when the remaining classes start racing for the 29er, ILCA 4 (Laser 4.7) and Topper fleets that will bring the turnout up to 130 sailors.

The championship is normally sailed over the Easter school holidays but was postponed to the Autumn mid-term break due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

To see all the results from day one of the Irish Sailing Youth National Championships, click here.

Rodgers: Leicester win was ‘great education for academy boys’

Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers has said that his side’s win over Brighton and Hove Albion in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup was a good experience for the academy players that made an appearance.

The Foxes won 4-2 on penalties after Graham Potter’s Seagulls had equalised twice in the game’s 90 minutes.

Harvey Barnes and Ademola Lookman had twice put Leicester ahead but Adam Webster and Enock Mwepu brought their side level.

Mwepu missed the deciding penalty as Wales number one Danny Ward denied him to help his side progress to the quarter-finals.

“It was a good victory for us,” the Northern Irishman told LCFC TV at full-time. “Of course, whenever you’ve got lots of players coming in who haven’t had a lot of game time, I thought we looked a little tired in the second half.

“But what you can’t question is the players’ mentality and their spirit. They showed great qualities, especially when they got the equaliser and we were able to score straight away. I’m delighted for the guys. They had to work very, very hard for it.

“Brighton are a good side, you can see they pass the ball well, but we always looked a threat. Your spirit can never be broken. There are some teams that can get pegged back and just don’t have that belief.

“Given everything, we had five Academy boys within the game, so that’s great to see them getting that experience. That’s a great education for them.

“We’ve always said our mindset is: ‘Listen, you’re never going to have it all your own way’. If you do go behind, or you do go level in the game, you keep pushing right to the very end.”

Andy Farrell: ‘Why can’t we dare to dream?’

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has said that there is no reason for his side not to relish their chances two years out from the next Rugby World Cup in 2023.

Farrell was part of the backroom that led Ireland into the last Rugby World Cup in Tokyo in which they were knocked out at the quarter-final stage once again after being underwhelming.

The Englishman then took the reins after Joe Schmidt left the role and has been building towards France 2023 since.

The former England defence coach has spoken about the tournament, 23 months out from it’s first match.

“Like I said before, why can’t we dare to dream?” Farrell said at this afternoon’s press conference.

“Why can’t we? I’m sure that there’s five or six or seven teams, it might be 10 teams that’ll be in the same position by the World Cup but why don’t we embrace the challenge and use that challenge to better our journey along the way?

“That’s the message to the players, so let’s get started on that.”

The side are using the competition as motivation on the road to it but the Ireland boss does not believe the players will look at their short-term goals differently as a result.

The team have three Autumn internationals to look forward to this November, including a first game against the All Blacks since the Rugby World Cup in Japan and a first fixture between the sides in Dublin since Ireland’s famous victory over them in the year before.

Sexton and co. also have trips to Twickenham and the Stade de France to focus on in next year’s Six Nations.

“If you look at the challenges that we’ve got again this year, obviously I’ve just gone through the three campaigns, but at the same time we go to Twickenham, we go to Paris for two away games as well.

“They’re all going to be opportunities for us to learn, and yes, along this journey there’s going to be bumps, but that’s great for our learning, our experiences, and our memory along the way to get there.

“The pressures of players desperately wanting to represent their country in a World Cup is how it should be, and I’m sure some fall by the wayside over the next two years but hopefully most of them will flourish.”

Four uncapped players in Ireland Women’s EuroBasket Qualifiers squad

Ireland senior women’s head coach James Weldon has named four uncapped players in his extended 17-person squad for the upcoming FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2023 Qualifiers.

The national side come into the qualifiers off the back of a second-place finish at the FIBA Women’s European Championship for Small Countries earlier this year.

Ulster University’s Abigail Rafferty and WIT Waterford Wildcats player Kate Hickey both represented Ireland at the FIBA U20 Women’s European Challengers in Hungary during the summer.

On top of this, Trinity Meteors power forward Sarah Kenny has also previously been capped at underage level.

Maura Fitzpatrick has been called up for the first time, with the Connecticut native currently playing for Gloucester City Queens in the WBBL.

Fitzpatrick is not the only overseas-based player in the squad – Anna Kelly, who is with Belgian club Spirou Ladies Charleroi, has also been selected.

12 Irish clubs are represented in the squad, with three players from DCU Mercy, and two each from Trinity Meteors, Leixlip Amenities Liffey Celtics and WIT Waterford Wildcats.

Ireland will play their opening qualifier against the Netherlands in Amsterdam in two weeks time, on November 11th, followed by a match against the Czech Republic on November 14th at the National Basketball Arena, in Dublin.

Ireland are in Group I of qualifying which also contains Belarus, who they will face in the second FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2023 Qualifiers window, in November 2022.

Speaking on the announcement, head coach James Weldon said: “The team are excited to be back playing at the highest level internationally, but are also keenly aware of the formidable challenges that lie ahead.

“We are looking forward to getting the team together during the international break in November. The process of rebuilding the team will continue over the three international windows as players learn to play at this elite level.”

Ireland Women’s Squad – FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2023 Qualifiers

PG – Anna Kelly (Spirou Ladies Charleroi)

PG – Edel Thornton (Singleton SuperValu Brunell)

SG – Dayna Finn (Trinity Meteors)

SG – Lynn Tunnah (Griffith College Templeogue)

SG – Maeve Phelan (DCU Mercy)

SG – Sorcha Tiernan (Leixlip Amenities Liffey Celtic)

C – Claire Melia (UCC Glanmire)

C – Hannah Thornton (DCU Mercy)

C – Stephanie O’Shea (WIT Waterford Wildcats)

SF – Kate Hickey (WIT Waterford Wildcats)

SF – Maura Fitzpatrick (Gloucester City Queens)

SF – Michelle Clark (Killester)

PF – Abigail Rafferty (Ulster University)

PF – Áine O’Connor (Leixlip Amenities Liffey Celtic)

PF – Gráinne Dwyer (Fr. Matthews)

PF – Rachel Huijsdens (DCU Mercy)

PF – Sarah Kenny (Trinity Meteors)

Guardiola vows that City ‘will be back’ after Carabao Cup loss to West Ham

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has vowed that his side “will be back” after their fourth-round exit from this year’s Carabao Cup.

The holders were beaten 5-3 on penalties by West Ham United after an inspired Alphonse Areola kept them at bay.

Phil Foden and missed their penalties, which allowed Said Benrahma to score the winning spot kick and take David Moyes’ men into the next round.

The loss means that City’s five-year run without a defeat in the competition, as well as their streak of four Carabao Cups in a row, has come to an end.

“An incredible run has finished [but] we finished in a good way,” said the City boss.

“We played in a really good way, creating chances against a team who defended deep.

“On penalties, they were better. Congratulations to West Ham. Next year we will be back.”

City have dominated the competition under Pep Guardiola, beating Arsenal, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur on the way to each other four they have picked up under the Catalan coach.

Their last loss in the competition came in the 2016-17 season when they were narrowly beaten by rivals and eventual victors Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The Citizens have been lauded for their squad depth throughout their period of dominance in the League Cup as the side have several great players at their disposal in each position.

Their period of dominance led to them joining Liverpool as the record holders of the League Cup with eight each.

Guardiola praised West Ham’s performance in the game and said that they brought out a good performance from his side in return.

“Not just this season, the previous one [too],” Guardiola said of West Ham’s progress under Moyes.

“One of the toughest games we played at home when one side was better than us last season was West Ham.

“They’re doing well in the Premier League and the Europa League and now they are in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

“Fantastic team, fantastic manager. We knew it. We did our game. I didn’t see the stats, but I thought we did a good game.

“Sometimes it happens. Next season we will be back.”

Arsenal interested in free Zakaria move

Rumours have circulated that Mikel Arteta is very impressed with Bundesliga midfielder Denis Zakaria and could sign him for free

This move sounds very familiar. Arsenal are interested in a young, fierce defensive midfielder that plays for Borussia Monchengladbach and the Switzerland national team.

Although former captain Granit Xhaka has split the opinions of much of the Gunners fanbase there is no doubt that Zakaria is a very promising talent.

The 24-year-old born in Genf in Switzerland has been a very bright spark in the Monchengladbach defense since he broke onto the scene a few years ago.

He is currently valued at around €30 million but BILD reports that could be looking to sign a pre-contract with the player. His contract runs out at the end of the next season so this deal would suit each club best.

This is not the first time that the London club have been linked with the midfielder. Arsenal attempted to sign Zakaria during the summer transfer window but a deal did not materialize.

The Swiss player made a good start to the season, scoring two goals in seven league games. These are strong numbers for a player capable of playing center back as well as central midfield.

Last season was not as productive for the Swiss man. He only made 15 starts and scored one goal as Monchengladbach finished eighth.

The young player first made his name at Servette in Switzerland before moving to Young Boys. He has been with the Gladbach since 2017, making 136 appearances.

Mikel Arteta will have to compete with Athletico Madrid and AS Roma if they want his signature. This could be a very promising move for Arsenal if they can pull it through.

To read more from this writer, click here.

And to read more in-depth and up-to-date Premier League and international club football news, click here.

Klopp impressed with youngsters after Liverpool’s win in Preston

Jurgen Klopp has praised the youngsters that played for Liverpool against Preston North End in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

Liverpool progressed to the quarter-finals after a 2-0 victory in a match that saw two youngsters earn their first starts for the senior team and others get game time off the bench.

The German manager was impressed once again by 18-year-old Tyler Morton, who had previously made his debut for the club in the third round of the competition against Norwich City.

Morton earned his first start for the side at the base of the midfield three and his passing and vision helped Liverpool to fashion chances and find the net.

“Tyler is obviously a real talent, a real smart footballer. You can see this,” Klopp said after the match. “His natural movements, natural positions, are really good, so he is a real football-smart boy and the technique is really good.

“Now we have to make sure we help him with getting a body for football – he is not too small and not too skinny, but there is still a little bit to come and we have to make him ready for all that. It was a very positive impact again tonight.”

Harvey Blair was taken off at half-time after Liverpool struggled to string chances together but Conor Bradley came on in his place, pushing Neco Williams to the right wing.

The Northern Irish right-back produced a solid performance and Williams shone in the new role.

Klopp sees the upcoming international break as a chance for these youngsters to prove themselves.

“Elijah [Dixon-Bonnar (substitute)], for example, did exactly that. In the last international break he was incredible.

“He’s been long in the club already but was not really on the radar – and now all of a sudden he is there. He deserved these three or four minutes tonight.

“For a young boy, it’s a massive thing to play your first game for the first team and I’m really happy for him that we could give him the opportunity.

“So, there’s always a spot for these young boys. Owen Beck obviously impressed a lot in the pre-season, like Conor did. It’s good to have them.

“The problem is in the international break some of them are as well on tour with the national teams, so then they cannot train with us. But the others can and that’s good.”

Five Potential Candidates to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United Manager

Five Potential Candidates to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United Manager

With growing pressure mounting on current Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with results of late being under par, rumours of his dismissal are at an all-time high.

His side currently sits seventh in the Premier League, with four wins from nine.

They have also lost three of their last five, with a 4-2 away loss to Leicester being followed up by a humiliating 0-5 home loss to rivals Liverpool.

With the writing on the wall for Ole, here are five managers who have been named as Solskjaers apparent successors.

Five Potential Candidates to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United Manager

1. Antonio Conte

The former Chelsea boss was one of the first names touted for the United job after Saturday’s defeat to Liverpool.

It has been reported that Conte does not normally take up a role mid-way through the season but he would be tempted if United made strong contact.

If Conte were to get the job, United would be getting a serial winner, winning the league numerous times with Juventus, Chelsea and Inter, but his hot head temperament and short-termism might sway United owners away from his appointment after his public fallouts with the each club’s hierarchy.

His time at Chelsea ended after winning the FA Cup in his second season, and a year prior he dominated the Premier League, winning it at a canter.

Conte is available after leaving Inter Milan in the summer and if the results for Ole worsen, he is the obvious choice.

2. Zinedine Zidane

Along with Conte, Zizou is the only big-name manager currently without a job after Zidane left his role at Real Madrid for a second time after leaving last summer.

His name has always been rumoured for the United role and would be the ideal candidate to take over from Solskjaer. He has a European pedigree, winning the three-peat in his first spell with Madrid along with two league titles.

With former Madrid stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane wearing the famous red shirt, it could be a reunion of sorts. If he were to get the job he would bring a much-needed lift and name value to a club in disarray.

Now rather or not he would be interested in the job is up for debate.

3. Erik ten Hag

The Dutchman has made a name for himself as Ajax manager, currently in his fifth season with the European giants. He made a sleeping giant like Ajax into a well-oiled machine capable of beating anyone on their day.

His highlight as Ajax manager was bringing his side to the semi-finals of the Champions League where a last-minute goal from Lucas Moura saw Tottenham advance.

He is known for his free-flowing football and high attacking philosophy which would compliment how United fans would like their side to play.

If United were keen on his signature they would need to pay Ajax for his services as ten Hag recently extended his contract with Ajax through to the end of the 2022–23 season

4. Mauricio Pochettino

United fans first choice to take over from Jose Mourinho not so long ago, the former Tottenham manager was one of the most sought after managers during his time in the Premier League.

After losing in the Champions League final to Liverpool he was sacked by Spurs a few months later.

Taking over the PSG job in January 2021, he failed to win the Ligue 1 title in his first season and has come under some scrutiny with the squad he has.

His side currently sits top of the Ligue 1 table, 7 points clear after 11 games.

It seems unlikely that United would try to obtain a manager at another club, especially with the hefty buy-out clause they would have to pay the French giants.

5. Roberto Martinez

The current Belgium manager is a longshot for the job, with his position among Belgium FA officials still positive after his side were eliminated from the Quarter-final stage during Euro 2020.

The appointment of the former Wigan and Everton manager would not go down well with the Manchester United faithful, with his ultimate failure with Belgium’s golden generation being a major sticking point for many.

While he did spend a few years in the Premier League, he relegated Wigan and got sacked by Everton. If his handling of the Belgium job is anything to go by, a massive job like Manchester United may be a step too far for the Spaniard

Five Potential Candidates to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United Manager

For more News and Stories on all things Football, click here.

 

Liverpool youngster Tyler Morton elated after full debut

Liverpool youngster Tyler Morton has spoken of his joy at making his full debut for the club against Preston North End in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

Morton played all 90 minutes of the match, the only midfielder to do so, and further impressed after his 45-minute debut against Norwich City in the previous round.

His passing and vision were on display once again as he opened up the chance for Takumi Minamino’s opener.

“It’s very emotional,” Morton told Liverpoolfc.com post-match.

“My whole family are here and people who have supported Liverpool for years like my mates, they were here watching me and it gets emotional.

“Clapping the fans at the end, it’s just a boyhood dream and one I’ve dreamed of since I was born really because I’ve been coming to the games since I was three or four. I can’t really express the feeling.”

Morton made his debut for the senior team against Norwich last month alongside underage teammates Conor Bradley and Kaide Gordon and played alongside Harvey Blair tonight.

The Wirral-born midfielder has made 13 appearances for the Liverpool underage sides this season and has impressed in the UEFA Youth League under Marc Bridge-Wilkinson.

He had previously been on an exceptionally talented underage club side Greenleas JFC before he joined the academy.

Morton relishes the step-up to the senior level: “Yeah because I’m not used to first-team football and I’ve just come into it.

Hopefully, I can get more chances to prove myself. At the start of the game, it’s not like U23s or U18s football [because] you can’t really hear yourself think.

“The fans are loud and it’s a tough test but that’s what I like, a tough test.”

He noted that he is focused on taking his budding career game-by-game rather than dreaming of a Carabao Cup quarter-final appearance.

“I just take every game in my stride really, whatever game it is, and see how it goes. If I am in his plans or if I’m not I am always going to be happy to be part of the club and that’s what I’m like.”

Ronald Koeman Sacked by Barcelona

Ronald Koeman has been sacked as head coach of Barcelona after a mere 14 months in charge of the Spanish giants.

This decision is coming off the back of a 1-0 away defeat to Ray Vallecano on Wednesday. That defeat was Barca’s fifth defeat so far this season and fourth defeat in six games in all competitions.

They currently sit 9th in La Liga, with 15 points from a possible 30 and sit 3rd in their Champions League group.

Koeman’s sacking has been spoken about for months, with defeat to Rayo Vallecano following their 1-2 home defeat to Real Madrid in Sunday’s El Clasico.

After their defeat on Wednesday night, a brief statement was released on the club’s website and social media accounts confirming Koeman’s sacking with President Joan Laporta confirming the news.

The statement read;

”FC Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first-team coach. The president of the club, Joan Laporta, informed him of the decision after the defeat against Rayo Vallecano. Ronald Koeman will say goodbye to the squad on Thursday at the Ciutat Esportiva.  

FC Barcelona wishes to thank him for his service to the Club and wishes him all the best in his professional career.”

The pressure had been building on the Dutch manager after the club made their worst-ever start to a Champions League campaign.

Sitting 3rd and three games, winning one but losing to Bayern Munich and Benfica 3-0 in consecutive matches and hold a -5 goal difference.

Their 2-1 home loss to Real Madrid on October 24th was Koeman’s third straight El Clasico defeat, with fans attacking his car after the final whistle.

A search for a new manager is underway with reports circulating out of Spain that former midfielder Xavi will take charge.

For more News and Stories on all things Football, click here.

1...251252253...607Page 252 of 607

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

ABOUT US

SportsNewsIreland is an Irish website launched in 2009 to offer sports fans in Ireland an alternative and independent source to keep them up to date with all the news from around the country. Every week we bring you live score updates from all levels of GAA, rugby, soccer, racing and athletics. Contact

Contact us: Email: info@sportsnewsireland.com

FOLLOW US

Design by SportsMediaIreland.ie