Thirty years after Gazza signed for Rangers, Mail Sport recalls the madness and the magnificence of the England superstar's spell in Scotland
Paul Gascoigne 's Italian odyssey had run its course. After a promising first season in which he'd helped to restore the fortunes of Lazio, the mutual attraction had faded, and a parting of the ways was deemed best for both parties.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
‘That's our DNA': Russo praises ‘proper English' performance against Netherlands
Alessia Russo says England always knew they were capable of producing performances such as the one that delivered an emphatic 4-0 win against the Netherlands, as she praised her teammates for rediscovering their DNA. England were under pressure having been beaten by France in their opening Group D fixture at Euro 2025, knowing a defeat in this match could knock them out, but the defending champions had spoken in the buildup about wanting a 'proper England' performance and Russo believed they found one. The Lionesses will be guaranteed a place in the quarter‑finals if they defeat Wales in St Gallen on Sunday. 'I think 'proper English' to us means: 'We'll work hard, we'll work until we can't run any more. We'll stick together,'' Russo said, after being named as Uefa's player of the match. 'And we know we're very dominant on the ball as well. Returning to that, that's our standard, and that's our DNA as a team, and we definitely saw that today, from the first minute right until the end. Everyone was working so hard. 'We were really dominant on first and second balls, and clinical with our chances. We probably could have scored even more as well. It was definitely something that we wanted, to return to our roots, and we know we're capable of performances like that.' When England hit such standards, she said, 'the sky's the limit'. Sarina Wiegman said the 'proper England' phrase had been coined by her players since they responded to a disappointing draw with Portugal in February by beating the world champions Spain at Wembley in their next game. After her team again demonstrated their ability to bounce back strongly, the head coach said: 'The players use that [phrase] a lot now. [It's about] togetherness and the fight. But at the same time, when you're in possession, for me it's important that the passes we play are with purpose, and today you really saw the purpose in every pass we played, and for me that's also 'proper English'.' The England right-back Lucy Bronze praised her fellow defenders Jess Carter and Alex Greenwood for epitomising the idea, saying: 'Alex [Greenwood] was front-footed, she was aggressive. Jess Carter was completely covering her every single minute of the game as well. You put in the hard work to make sure you're doing a job for the team and that your teammate has got your back. Those two really embodied that and gave a lot of the rest of the team confidence.' The Netherlands head coach, Andries Jonker, admitted England's performance took his side by surprise. 'It is a heavy defeat and we didn't see it coming, we thought we would be able to compete with England,' he said. 'It was a surprise. I bear the responsibility. We were convinced this game plan would work out but unfortunately it didn't.' Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion Ella Toone, the scorer of England's fourth goal, told the BBC: 'We needed that. We should be proud of ourselves. We knew we had it in us. It should be a performance that we should be really proud of. There are always doubters – we don't listen to it. We know we have the talent, but it is just about getting it out on the pitch.'
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Dundee: Steven Pressley on transfers, having 'nothing to prove' & Airdrie
Pressley on transfers, having 'nothing to prove' & Airdrie Image source, SNS Author, Tyrone Smith Role, BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter 9 July 2025 Dundee head coach Steven Pressley has been speaking to the media ahead of his side's League Cup group opener at home to Airdrieonians on Saturday. Here are the key lines:
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Djokovic survives Cobolli onslaught to reach record 14th Wimbledon semi-final
The siren call of a record 25th grand slam title grows ever louder for Novak Djokovic. But he was given a scare by the punchy young Italian Flavio Cobolli, as well as a nasty fall on match point, before coming through a pulsating quarter-final to win 6-7 (8), 6-2, 7-5, 6-4. Djokovic's reward is a record 14th Wimbledon semi-final, one ahead of Roger Federer, and a meeting with the world No 1, Jannik Sinner, on Friday. It is a battle he is clearly relishing. 'It motivates me to see how much I can still keep going with these guys toe to toe,' he said. 'For me, this is what actually counts the most. Being in the last stages of grand slams and playing against the best player in the world right now. And Jannik and Carlos Alcaraz are the leaders of men's tennis today.' Djokovic hit 39 winners and made just 22 errors against Cobolli, and reached shots that would have flown past lesser opponents. But he admits that Sinner, and potentially Alcaraz in the final, will prove a far tougher physical test. 'I am pleased with the way I'm playing,' Djokovic said. 'Physically I hope that I'll be able to sustain that. That's more of a concern than game‑wise. I think game-wise the way I'm feeling the ball when I'm fit and ready, I feel like I can go toe to toe with those guys and even beat them if I'm playing my best.' Beforehand the tale of the tape was so overwhelmingly in Djokovic's favour that few gave Cobolli a shot. The Italian, after all, came into this match with a 1-11 record against the world's top 10. His career record on grass stood at a modest nine wins and six defeats. And he was up against the greatest of all time, the seven-time champion here, and someone who had thrashed him 6-1, 6-2 in their only meeting. But this was a different Cobolli, one determined to roll the dice and with the confidence to believe he could provide the biggest shock of Wimbledon this year. In the last 16, Alex de Minaur had tried to defeat Djokovic by mixing deft spins and devilish unpredictability, and using the swirling wind as his friend. Cobolli's approach was more blunt. He simply wanted to blast Djokovic off the court. It nearly worked, too. Djokovic said: 'He played at a really high level. And at some parts of the match he was just serving so good that I wasn't able to read or attack it.' Initially the Italian looked to be feeling the pressure of his first grand slam quarter-final. His first shot – a return of serve – scooted into the net. And his second was a mis-hit. But Cobolli was determined to hit himself out of trouble. Serves were thundered down at more than 130mph, forehands were struck flat and hard, and he kept digging himself out of potential potholes. It said everything about the Italian's game that even when down 5-3 in the first set, he broke back immediately and then took it on a tie‑break after a 137mph serve. Perhaps understandably, given this was his first time on Centre Court and he was playing his idol, Cobolli then had a wobble. From 2-1 up in the second set, he lost seven games in a row. In truth, it looked over. From nowhere, however, Cobolli's radar suddenly started working again. At 2-0 down in the third set he broke back and led 5-4 before nerves got the better of him. Still the Italian kept fighting. But at 4-4 and 30-30 in the fourth set, the tension became too much. A double-handed backhand went halfway up the net before a drop volley was fluffed. It left Djokovic serving for the match. But there was still time for more drama as, on the second match point, the Serb fell face first on to the grass after another Cobolli winner flashed past him and he appeared to hurt his hip. 'It was a nasty fall,' Djokovic said. 'It was very awkward. That happens on the grass. I've had quite a few of those throughout my grass court career. 'Obviously, my body is not the same today like it was before, so I guess the real impact of what happened I will feel tomorrow. So let's see. I'm hoping the next 24-48 hours that the severity is not too bad, that I'll be able to play at my best and be free of pain in two days.' After the fall it took him a while to get up. Yet two points later, his hands were pointing skyward in triumph. Djokovic continues to confound expectations. Against Sinner he will have to do so again.
