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BBC News
8 minutes ago
- BBC News
UNA Strassen 0-1 Dundee United (agg 0-2): What Goodwin said
Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin: "I didn't realise it had been nearly 30 years since we won away from home in Europe. "It's a great result for this new group of players. Any game away from home in Europe is extremely difficult, there are no easy ties. "On paper people would have looked at the game and thought it should be straightforward but Strassen were technically very good. They're no mugs so we're delighted with the result and clean sheet but we know we have to improve. We were really untidy on the ball, maybe that was a case of nerves. "Over the two ties I don't think anybody could argue we deserved to go through. Neither performance was perfect, we've got a lot to learn and we need to do it quickly. "There are definitely things we need to brush up on. We were very untidy on the ball. When we did play and pass the ball quickly we got into dangerous areas but [Yevhenii] Kucherenko, over the two legs, has had very little to do."
The Guardian
38 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Tom Brady's Birmingham primed to touch down in the Championship
Unsurprisingly, Tom Brady, a seven-time Super Bowl champion and global sporting icon, is braced for the challenges that await Birmingham City, where he is a minority owner. 'Just because you were successful last year doesn't mean you're going to be successful this year,' he says, alluding to a season that culminated in promotion and a record-breaking tally of 111 points. 'You have to put the same amount of work, commitment and discipline in – sometimes more – because the stakes only get higher. When the competition gets tougher, the margin of error gets smaller.' It is his final answer in an interview that takes in everything from the 'blue-collar nature of Birmingham', which he compares with Cleveland and Cincinnati, to the Championship landscape and the bubbling rivalry with Aston Villa, which he was educated on during his first visit to England's second-biggest city after acquiring his 3.3% stake. It is a moment detailed in the opening scene of Built in Birmingham: Brady & the Blues, the Prime Video documentary series released on Friday, as he travels past a giant mural depicting Jude Bellingham and Trevor Francis. 'What's the other team here?' he asks. 'Fuck them … gonna fuck them up too,' he says, smiling. Brady and Tom Wagner, the Birmingham chairman, are in bullish moods for our interview. Wagner's mantra is 'if you can't say it, you can't do it' and he is adamant Birmingham will return to the Premier League. But when? 'The sooner the better,' he replies. 'I think it would be great for the city of Birmingham to have an inner-city derby that brings fans together in a non-violent way; we don't want it to be peaceful, we don't want it to be violent either, but we want to allow them the joy of experiencing that great rivalry again. I love reading the comments from Villa supporters, but I think it's beyond that. There's so many other great clubs we would love to compete against.' The series contains colourful characters, differing generations of supporters. 'We've had so many rebirths,' says one, Paul Collins, 'but they've all been phantom pregnancies.' There is a potted history taking in Barry Fry urinating in all four corners of St Andrew's to lift a curse and other amusing moments. 'I fell in love with fixing businesses,' says Wagner, the co-founder of Knighthead Capital, the multibillion investment fund that acquired a controlling stake two years ago. On their arrival at Birmingham, one-third of the ground had been condemned, there was no hot water in the men's toilets and no heating in the executive offices. 'We're not even close to being done, and now we're embarking on an even more ambitious feat,' Wagner says of plans to build a sports quarter on a 60-acre site with a 62,000-seat stadium, more than double the current capacity. 'We want to compete at the top level of the Championship [this season].' After their final home game last season, Wagner enjoyed a mic-drop moment, telling those present: 'The best part of the story is just beginning. I promise you this is not the best day we will enjoy together.' Perhaps the most surreal moment of the series is Sir David Beckham, among the VIP guests for Birmingham's home win over Wrexham last September, explaining to Brady the insulting chants Birmingham fans are directing at their Welsh counterparts. What else did Beckham teach him that night? Brady laughs. 'A few things that were being said … some of it I couldn't really fully understand because there's some thick accents that I'm not 100% educated on yet, but David's helped me out.' Another time we see Brady mastering his pronunciation of Birmingham en route to the training ground. 'I learned that pretty early on. When I first did my social media video [announcing my involvement], they said: 'It's Birmingham, not Birming-ham.'' Wrexham, also promoted last season, have become friendly foes. Wagner says other teams 'want in' on Birmingham's brewing competition with the Welsh club, owned by the Hollywood pair Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. 'Rivalries are very important because they allow you to focus at a different level: your concentration, effort, it all becomes very maximised when you're playing against these rivals,' Brady says. 'The fundamentals of the sport [football], the tactics, are different to American football. It's a different sport but the values are very much the same.' After that win over Wrexham, there is a snapshot into the bigger picture, a reminder that this is business after Wagner congratulates manager, Chris Davies, and his staff. 'I'm going to go back upstairs, we've got 1,000 people we're trying to get to spend money in the club so that you guys can spend more next summer,' says Wagner, a former certified public accountant on Wall Street. One of his primary aims is building revenues to close the gap to clubs awarded parachute payments. Asked whether the numbers are where he expected this summer, Wagner says they have smashed this season's original target. 'My team loves it when they achieve a goal and I say: 'Well, now it's 10% higher',' he says. Commercial deals with Nike and Delta Air Lines help. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion 'We've achieved levels of revenue that no one has ever done in the Championship, save for clubs receiving parachute payments,' Wagner says. 'So, if we were to fast-forward a year – if we were fortunate enough to get promoted – our first year in the Premier League, I think we'll fall mid-table in total revenues, which is unheard of for a club just entering into the Prem. That's the way we think about the club and that's what our objectives are aimed towards – not just getting to the Prem, but then being there for good, and then ultimately becoming competitive.' Birmingham are looking forward but the appointment of Wayne Rooney backfired. The first episode touches on Rooney's tenure: two wins in 15 matches and 83 days in charge, a run that paved the way to relegation. Wagner says now he 'wouldn't trade that history for the world, because the lessons were invaluable'. We see an awkward, small talk exchange between Brady and Rooney and, later, with Brady stewing in the car after leaving the training ground, comes a telling remark. 'I'm a little bit worried about our head coach's work ethic,' Brady says. Rooney was sacked in January 2024 and Brady is reluctant to linger on the past: 'I have very high expectations for myself and certainly for a club and people I associate with, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for Wayne. He's one of the greatest players to step on to a football pitch. And that was a couple of years ago, at this point Chris is our manager … I love Chris's work ethic, attitude, determination and humility.' On deadline day last summer, Birmingham made a splash after signing Jay Stansfield for a record-breaking £15m fee from Fulham. Episode three focuses on the England Under-21 striker's return to Exeter City, for whom his late father, Adam, also played. We hear from Taylor, one of Stansfield's younger brothers, who joined Birmingham as kit man during Stansfield's loan at the club, and their mother, Marie. 'As a footballer, he is just like his dad … he even runs like his dad,' she says. 'They both run with their pinky finger out,' Taylor says, smiling. Marie is in the stand opposite the one renamed after Adam, which Stansfield blows a kiss towards after scoring a penalty. Birmingham have been aggressive in the market this summer, too, with the returning Demarai Gray and the former Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi two of eight signings. More new faces are expected to follow. So, how does Wagner reflect on his time as chair? 'I think the biggest metric for us is the increased amount of interest that we have in the club from new and existing supporters, where we're now enjoying record levels of season-ticket sales,' he says of the 20,000 signed up this season and referencing the 15,000-strong season-ticket waiting list, a first for the club. It is apt that Birmingham host Ipswich, the last team to win back-to-back promotions to the Premier League, in the Championship curtain-raiser a week on Friday. The final episode takes in one of few hiccups under Knighthead: defeat in the Vertu Trophy final at Wembley in April. 'I don't like losing,' says Wagner. 'I'll back that up,' says Brady. 'We sold 50,000 tickets and when the last ticket sold, there were 23,000 people on the phone waiting to purchase tickets,' Wagner adds. 'Whatever we're doing seems to be resonating with people, in that they want to be a part of the journey. We knew it was a big club with a lot of supporters but I don't think we appreciated how many live and die with us on match day.'
The Guardian
38 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Gus Atkinson throws down gauntlet to India before England's Woakes blow
Welcome to England, India. Or at least, welcome to the England you might have expected when touching down here at the start of June. Cloud cover, stoppages for rain, and seamers probing away on a green-tinged surface – the opening day at the Oval was certainly a far cry from what came before. The problem for India, 2-1 down in the series and chasing only a share of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, was that they were the ones tasked with negotiating these new conditions after Shubman Gill lost his fifth toss in a row. By stumps, 7.30pm, the tourists had scrapped their way to 204 for six from 64 overs and Gus Atkinson was the toast of his home ground. Figures of two for 31 from 19 overs did not tell the full story of Atkinson's return either. Arguably the most important strike witnessed came not from his brand of waspish fast-medium but a sparkling run-out of Gill for 21 in a six-over mini-session between the afternoon showers. Given the glowing form India's captain has been in this series, it felt like a defining moment. It was a hugely self-inflicted dismissal too, Gill having dropped Atkinson into the off side with a defensive prod and set off for a single that simply never was on. Turning on his heels but already in trouble, he could only look on as Atkinson swooped in, took aim, and threw down the stumps with unerring precision. The look of anguish on Gill's face as he walked off was palpable. Although Gill's anguish was trumped by that of Chris Woakes late on and what may well rival it by way of significance. Woakes, the only English seamer to push through all five Tests, chased a ball to the boundary only to fall awkwardly in the process. A dislocated left shoulder was the likely upshot, Woakes walking off in visible agony and his arm in a makeshift sling. Ollie Pope, standing in for the injured Ben Stokes, now faces the prospect of juggling just fit three seamers for the remainder of the match. And while Atkinson impressed, pinning Yashasvi Jaiswal lbw for two and getting Dhruv Jurel caught in the cordon for 19, Pope will need Josh Tongue and Jamie Overton to offer more consistency than they mustered on day one. Because as much as England were happy to pick up six wickets, there is a case to say that it should have been more. Lee Fortis, chief groundskeeper and scourge of the tourists in the buildup, had left 8mm of grass on the Oval pitch – ideal conditions to lock in on a length and let the Dukes do its thing. And yet this was something the support cast struggled to achieve at times. Although in the case of the fast but wayward Tongue, perhaps this is missing the point. England like the point of difference he offers and, while he sprayed wides for fun in the morning, his best remains very good indeed. Tongue's two dismissals on the day, Sai Sudharsan for 38 and Ravindra Jadeja for nine, were both a case of rip-snorting deliveries being edged behind. Overton, however, looks a curious selection on a surface that might be better suited to Matthew Potts or Sam Cook. While his speeds picked up from some initial 80mph long hopes, and some swing was harnessed, figures of nought for 66 were the weak link in the attack – a link that must be corrected swiftly if Woakes spends the remainder of the match on the sidelines. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion Atkinson appears to have picked up where he left off at least. His removal of Jaiswal with a ball that nipped was also a notable feat for his Surrey teammate, Pope, who sent a decision upstairs for the 14th time as captain and finally saw one go his way. Going by the celebrations – Pope beaming, wry smiles in the England dressing room – everyone was fully aware. Although the removal of KL Rahul for 14 an hour into play arguably had greater value, such has been the right-hander's proficiency against the moving ball in England. Replacing Atkinson from the Pavilion End after a tight six-over opening spell, Woakes persuaded Rahul to chop on to his stumps with a bit of nip – even if it was always too tight to cut. In the end, India were grateful to another experienced campaigner for steering them out of choppy waters. Recalled after his omission at Old Trafford, Karun Nair turned 153 for six at the fall of Jurel's wicket into a potentially promising position with a classy unbeaten 52 from 98 balls. Support here came from Washington Sundar, who made 19 not out. England know all about Sundar, of course, but if they can open up an end in the morning then India's tail begins. But even with the forecast set to improve, and with it batting conditions, Pope will still face a tricky juggling act second time around if those fears about Woakes prove accurate.
