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Contenders to replace Thomas Frank as Brentford boss after his move to Tottenham

Contenders to replace Thomas Frank as Brentford boss after his move to Tottenham

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the candidates to replace Frank, who had held the position since 2018.
Town fans,
Thank you. 💙
Today marks the end of a challenging season, but tomorrow marks day one of a challenge we will attack, together.
COYB. pic.twitter.com/R51GoekOtr
— Ipswich Town (@IpswichTown) May 25, 2025
Relegation from the Premier League has failed to tarnish McKenna's reputation as one of the brightest British coaches around. The fact McKenna guided Ipswich into the top flight after they were in League One as recently as 2023 highlights his undoubted talent. With the ability to mix free-flowing football with pragmatism, the 39-year-old could be a good fit for Brentford and was linked with several prestigious vacancies last summer.
Bodo/Glimt boss Knutsen has earned admirers for his work at the Norwegian club, where he has taken them from Scandinavian minnows to Europa League semi-finalists. Knutsen has won four Eliteserien titles during his seven-year spell and been mentioned as a candidate for roles at Rangers, Celtic and Leeds in recent seasons. Could the prospect of a Premier League job tempt Knutsen to leave Bodo?
If Brentford want to keep some Danish continuity at Gtech Community Stadium, they could try to replace Frank with compatriot Hjulmand. The former Denmark boss has been out of work since he left the national team last summer, but is a familiar face to certain members of the Bees' squad. Captain Christian Norgaard, Mathias Jensen and Mikkel Damsgaard were all regulars under Hjulmand, who impressively managed his nation to the Euro 2020 semi-finals under emotional circumstances after Christian Eriksen's cardiac arrest.
A left-field option given his lack of Premier League experience, but Danny Rohl has masterfully navigated his first managerial role. Sheffield Wednesday were destined for relegation before Rohl, 36, turned around a sinking ship and last season helped them finish a respectable 12th place. The German coach has been linked with a string of Bundesliga jobs.
Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce that Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) June 6, 2025
Ange Postecoglou may be due a deserved break after a roller-coaster two years at Tottenham and even though him switching jobs with Frank seems unlikely, stranger things have happened. Postecoglou was dismissed by Spurs after a poor Premier League campaign, but ended the club's 17-year trophy drought and has won silverware in virtually every job. Would the Australian be tempted by an instant return to England's top flight?
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James Milner to wear number 20 at Brighton in memory of Diogo Jota
James Milner to wear number 20 at Brighton in memory of Diogo Jota

The Independent

time15 minutes ago

  • The Independent

James Milner to wear number 20 at Brighton in memory of Diogo Jota

James Milner will wear the number 20 shirt at Brighton this season in memory of the late Diogo Jota, describing his former Liverpool team-mate as a 'great friend'. The Portuguese forward died aged 28 last month in a car crash, alongside his brother Andre Silva, just weeks after helping Liverpool clinch Premier League title glory. Liverpool have retired the number 20 jersey worn by Jota in his five seasons at Anfield, three of them alongside Milner before the veteran England midfielder moved to Brighton in the summer of 2023. With Carlos Baleba opting to have 17 on his back ahead of the 2025/26 campaign and vacating 20, Milner, who has been Brighton's number six, has swooped in to pay a touching tribute to Jota. 'Once I heard Carlos was looking to change his number and 20 was available, I wanted to do it as a mark of respect and pay tribute to Diogo Jota,' Milner said on the club's X channel. 'He was an amazing player who I was fortunate to play with and a great friend as well. 'It will be a great honour to wear his number in the Premier League this year.' Milner – whose contract was extended by Brighton in June for another season, which will take him past his 40th birthday – was among a number of Jota's former team-mates who attended his funeral in July. With 638 Premier League appearances already to his name, he sits within striking distance of Gareth Barry's all-time record of 653 games.

‘It's a lonely job': Neil Warnock on management, Guardiola and his ire for Ferguson
‘It's a lonely job': Neil Warnock on management, Guardiola and his ire for Ferguson

The Guardian

time16 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

‘It's a lonely job': Neil Warnock on management, Guardiola and his ire for Ferguson

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I can tell you now the linesman was Ed Smart and Craig Pawson refereeing. I can see it as if it were yesterday. I'll be looking at that on my grave. 'I told the referee and linesman: 'I wish you could come in my dressing room and see the desolation because you didn't do your jobs right.' We didn't deserve to go down that year.' Warnock was fined £20,000 for complaining about the officiating but now his attention reverts to Guardiola. 'I noticed how much he was having to bite his tongue when you looked at the goals City conceded towards the end of last season. It wasn't anything tactical. They were just bad mistakes. I knew it hurt him but he's got the bit between his teeth again now. I'm going to be interested in seeing how they go this season because they'll be a threat. Liverpool have spent all that money and Arsenal are spending as well, but Pep's signed two or three good players. He's the best manager since I've been around and I think he'll prove it again.' Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion When I ask Warnock for the top three managers he has faced, he responds with just two names. 'I'd say Pep one and Arsène Wenger two because he changed the whole concept of football. Oh my God, his intelligence.' Warnock and Wenger also had an unlikely bromance. 'He liked me and he respected me. It was said that Wenger never had any managers in his office after a game but he always invited me. On one occasion I even took my kids in and we had a picture in his office.' He frowns when I suggest it's strange Ferguson has not been added to his top three. 'I'd have to put Fergie in,' he says grudgingly. 'But I'd have Pep and Arsène before him.' Warnock once spoke warmly of Ferguson and how the Scot would write to him encouragingly after every promotion and relegation. But his attitude has hardened now. 'I don't really want to talk about him because I've not got anything good to say.' Is that because Ferguson played a weakened Manchester United side against West Ham in the final game of the season in 2007? 'Absolutely. Unforgivable, in my eyes. Same with [Liverpool's] Rafa Benítez. He played the kids at Fulham that same year.' The pain for Warnock was intensified because Sheffield United, his boyhood team, were relegated after they lost at home to Wigan and West Ham stayed up after beating United by a solitary goal scored by Carlos Tevez, whose registration was thought to be ineligible by Warnock and many others. Has he spoken to Ferguson since that disastrous day? 'No,' Warnock says with icy finality. He is happier discussing another managerial icon in Clough. 'I was at Notts County [between 1989 and 1993] and Cloughie used to walk past our little training ground to get to their 10 acres where they had a fantastic training facility. He would be with [Clough's assistant at Nottingham Forest] Alan Hill and a black labrador. Cloughie would walk across my pitch. He never walked around it and nobody said 'owt. He looked round at what we were doing, shook his head and walked on. Brilliant!' Warnock laughs before becoming more serious again. 'We drew 1-1 at their place and at one of our lunches, he said: 'You don't realise, son, but it's a remarkable job for a club like Notts County to be competing with us in the top division. It'll never happen again, what you've done.' And of course Notts County went from the old First Division to non-league football. 'I've had eight promotions and if I went back to these clubs tomorrow, I'd get a great reception. I got Cardiff in the Premier League. Look where they are now. To get Notts County in the top flight? If I had a fashionable name or I were a fashionable manager, I think I'd have got more acknowledgment. But they gave me an award this year at the Football League, for my contribution to the EFL.' Warnock sinks back in his chair and smiles: 'I thought: 'Bloody hell. It's about time!'' Neil Warnock: Are You With Me? is at Opera House, Manchester on 29 August, London Palladium on 18 September and Ashton Gate Stadium, Bristol on 28 September. Tickets at

Built In Birmingham: Brady & The Blues Review
Built In Birmingham: Brady & The Blues Review

The Review Geek

time19 minutes ago

  • The Review Geek

Built In Birmingham: Brady & The Blues Review

Season 1 Episode Guide No Fear Turn the Page Joys & Sorrows This will be Bananaland Keep Right On While Premier League football gets a lot of the plaudits when it comes to the moniker of 'best league in the world', few outside of the footballing sphere realize just how competitive and cutthroat the lower leagues actually are. Nowhere else is that more evident than in Prime Video's latest docuseries, Built In Birmingham: Brady & The Blues. Taking over Birmingham City FC, Tom Wagner from Knighthead Capital Management (a US-based investment firm), pumped millions into rejuvenating the football club, determined to create a culture of winning from a team seemingly content with Championship mediocrity and phantom pregnancies (the analogy makes sense in the documentary, don't worry!) Taking a leaf out of Wrexham's book, Wagner isn't the sole focus here as Tom Brady, the former NFL star, purchased a 3.3% stake of the club. You'd never know it from this docu-series though, as Tom Brady is largely placed front and center at every opportunity. When he speaks, he compares a lot of his own ups and downs with that of Birmingham City's fortunes. Along with fly on the wall footage of him arriving at training sessions, watching games from the stands (and eventually on his iPad back home later on) and random segments of him around Birmingham, we also see him discussing the club's culture. Amusingly, the two make a huge mistake early on in appointing Wayne Rooney in charge of the club, a man who has a reputation of failing at every single football club he's managed. The five episodes focus on Birmingham City's rebirth though, starting with its relegation and crash-out into League 1 (thanks Rooney) before the eventual resurgence and record-breaking year, helped of course by Wagner splashing the cash and bringing in top talent to get the team out of the dregs of League 1. It's not all smooth sailing though, and after episode 1, the documentary works its way through the season's hiccups and issues. Cameras showcase key team talks both at half-time and the full-time whistle, along with following key team members and managers as they try to navigate this new world order. There's also a rather bizarre inclusion of Peaky Blinders quotes and famous scenes (get it? Because it's a Brummie-based drama?) that don't really add much to the show other than remind us of where we are. I'm genuinely not sure why this was needed, or who it's supposed to appeal to. To be fair, Peaky Blinders is a great show but we don'tneed Tommy Shelby giving a rousing speech about mind games before Birmingham go to war with the mighty Rotherham. However, the action on the pitch is where this docu-series shines and thankfully, the commentary draws on some of the great EFL voices, including Bill Leslie and Don Goodman. There are plenty of highlights here, including Birmingham's fiery clash with Newcastle in the Cup, a particularly tense game with Wrexham away and some big (see: exaggerated for this documentary) injury blows along the way that look set to derail the Blue train. But really, after spending mountains of cash and riding a wave of good faith from the fans, Birmingham's season was nothing short of a steamroll back into the Championship. The filmmakers do seem to sense this and a lot of the drama we see here feels a lot more artificial and manufactured than it perhaps should be. Even in episode 1, where the fans and critics bemoan that Birmingham have never won anything, it's never mentioned once that the club won the League Cup in 2010 and one of those relegations from the Prem came thanks to one foolhardy last minute goal from Tottenham that sent them down during the Premier League's best relegation scrap of all time. However, even with the positives, it's hard not to forget Brady's words early in the documentary. 'It's not a vanity project,' He tells us… even though half the documentary features his NFL highlights, jetting off to the US for the Superbowl and comparing his own career to that of the Blues. As a reminder, this is a man with a 3.3% stake in the company, I'm not sure if the intention here is to try and bring American fans into the project and gain good faith like Wrexham have, but unlike Rob and Ryan's charisma and feel-good energy, what's here feels a lot more cynical and blatant. In fact, one of the commentators mentions how Wrexham VS Birmingham is akin to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood VS the suits of New York, and it's a fitting analogy. However, Brummie fans will be in their element here, seeing the club's rise back to the Championship and their hopes for a rollicking good time in the most competitive league in English football for the year ahead. Whether Birmingham can keep those feel-good vibes going (and the cash splashing) for years to come is anyone's guess but the club does seem to be going in the right direction. Built in Birmingham is a decent enough stop-gap before the football league starts up properly later this month, but it's nowhere near as good as it could have been.

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