Latest news with #KwadwoBaah
BBC News
15 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Watford squad shaping up nicely
This time last year, pessimism surrounded Watford. Yaser Asprilla and Ismail Kone had been sold for over £20m to balance the books and Hornets fans weren't ecstatic about the incomings. The 2023-24 season had ended poorly with the club finishing 15th and expectations were low. Relegation fears were in the air among fans and pundits alike. Twelve months on and there's a different feeling around Vicarage Road. The Hornets did better than expected under Tom Cleverley, who nevertheless paid the price for a poor second half of last season. As it stands the two stars of the team have remained - Giorgi Chakvetadze and Kwadwo Baah - as well as some of the other solid performers from last season. This summer, the signings have been more impressive and others are on their way. Whisper it very quietly, but the Watford squad is shaping up rather quite nicely. The striker situation will be key this season. Watford have tried Mileta Raovic, Daniel Jebbison and Vakoun Bayo in the past 12 months and all have fallen short in terms of their technical ability. Indeed the best of the lot has been the raw teenager Mamadou Doumbia, who could develop into a fine number nine with age, experience and good coaching. Watford can't rely on him just yet which is why Vivaldo Semedo has been brought in and another is on his way the Hornets can get the right striker, he is sure to do well, feeding off the supplies of Chakvetadze, Baah, Rocco Vata and some of the other young wingers brought in/about to join. Owner Gino Pozzo did say they were going to give it a go this season and so far he's been true to his word. After a few years of low expectation, there's a bit of a buzz around Watford again and a sense that the team might just do well. The prospects for a promotion challenge look far healthier now than they have done for a while.
BBC News
19 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Key Hornets duo near returns
Watford boss Paulo Pezzolano hopes Kwadwo Baah and Giorgi Chakvetadze are nearing a return to action after 22, came off with a hamstring injury against Preston in January and after missing 10 matches, played a total of just 46 minutes across two games before suffering a recurrence of the injury after starting brightly at Bristol City in April and sat out the final six matches of the has been given a bespoke fitness programme this summer, joining the main group and doing extra individual sessions and is in line to feature in the pre-season friendly at Leyton Orient on 26 midfielder Chakvetadze, 25, also limped off in the game at Ashton Gate with a foot injury, having played 39 of Watford's first 40 Championship matches.A club statement, external said he was 'making daily progress' and could feature in the friendly at Brisbane Road or the final warm-up match at home to Deportivo La Coruna four days later."Both players have been working on their recovery for some time," said Pezzolano."Baah will be able to return to full training with the squad this week, and Chakvetadze is another asset to the club. We look forward to him being fully recovered before he can return to action."
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Baah to play 'significant part' for Watford
Midfielder Kwadwo Baah is back fit and ready to play a "significant part" for Watford in their Championship match with Plymouth on Saturday according to boss Tom has not featured since being forced off 15 minutes into their 2-1 home defeat by Preston on 21 January because of a thigh injury."When someone has had two months, or two-and-a-half months out, I have to be careful that I don't go bang," Cleverley told his pre-match press conference., external"He is ready to play a significant part on Saturday which is a huge boost to us all. Kwadwo is someone that turns a lot of our control and possession into goalscoring opportunities."The 22-year-old joined Watford from Rochdale in 2021 and has scored four goals in 25 Championship appearances this season.
The Guardian
05-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Breaking news: Burnley concede a goal
When Burnley conceded an 80th-minute consolation goal in their final game before Christmas last year, their fans could scarcely have imagined they would go on to play 12 consecutive games in the Championship without letting in another. Still scarred by the memories of their team shipping three or more goals on 12 occasions in the Premier League last season, the denizens of Turf Moor are not used to defensive parsimony, so when Kwadwo Baah scored for Watford on the shortest day of the year, they they would not have envisaged a splendid scenario where their team would play matches against Sheffield United, Middlesbrough, Stoke City, Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland, Plymouth Argyle, Leeds United, Portsmouth, Oxford United, Hull City, Preston and Sheffield Wednesday without their goalkeeper James Trafford being called upon on a single occasion to pick the ball out of his own net. Between the sticks for each one of the 1,132 minutes (just shy of 19 hours) plus added time of league football his side played in that time, the 22-year-old has now kept enough clean sheets in different record-breaking spells with Burnley (12), Bolton (nine) and the England U-21 Euro 2023-winners (six) to fill a washing line over 74 metres long … assuming the freshly laundered bedding in question is comprised of standard double bed flat sheets carefully secured by pegs along an extremely straight top edge. Sadly for Trafford, his latest record came to an end last night at the Cardiff City Stadium, where Yousef Salech finally breached his defences where so many other strikers had failed. Rising salmon-like, the 23-year-old headed into the top corner, leaving the Burnley goalkeeper in an undignified tangle in the back of his own net. 'We're disappointed with how we conceded that goal really,' sniffed Scott Parker in the game's aftermath, before moving on to address the more cheerful news that despite this setback his team had still managed to win and move to within two points of Sheffield United just above them in the automatic promotion places, with both teams clearly having forgotten the unbridled weekly misery that getting into the Premier League entails. With 11 rounds of fixtures left in the Championship, Leeds are in the box-seat to win the title and go up automatically, even if those just beneath them and the wider football public remain hopeful of them doing what is uncoincidentally known in the business as 'a Leeds'. Behind them, Sheffield United, Burnley and Sunderland are all but guaranteed playoff places at worst, barring a serious sunder of the space time continuum, while everyone from Frank Lampard's Coventry City in fifth down to Preston in 15th will still think they're in with a half-decent shout of going up. Meanwhile in the basement, Derby, Plymouth and Luton are adrift but not so cast away they've inked a face on volleyball and given it a name. At both ends of the table it's the hope that kills you but, even in the middle of the current Championship, it's still all to play for and those sheets won't clean themselves. Join Scott Murray at 8pm (all times GMT) for updates on PSG 1-2 Liverpool in the first leg of their last-16 Bigger Cup tie, while John Brewin will be on hand with his clockwatch covering Feyenoord 1-2 Inter, Bayern Munich 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen and Benfica 1-2 Barcelona. This will be a historic moment for the Fifa World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world' – Gianni Infantino confirms that Coldplay's Chris Martin is helping Fifa with plans for a half-time show at the World Cup in 2026, a move that surely signals the end of football. Can I be the first of 1,057 readers to suggest that Mikel Arteta's side are serious about progressing beyond the Round of Arsenal [Tuesday's Football Daily], then they could really use an early goal in the second leg to settle the nerves' – Ed Taylor (and 1,056 others). Far from Everything In It's Right Place and more Karma Police. This is what you'll get when you mess with us' – Keith Taylor. Watched coverage on Premier Sports last night, and enjoyed the Irish accented punditry at half time, especially regarding the Gooner's captain, Martin O'Degaard' – Simon Mazier. So, Manchester United fans will dress in black, march, and hold placards in protest against the Glazers. Then, they will sit down and watch the match, thus ensuring a full stadium. What's the point? Like every other protest by fans, they still turn up and watch the game, spend money and ensure more money for the very people they want out. It's like me grumbling about going to my mother in laws for Sunday lunch and then letting her share the bottle of wine I took to self-medicate' – Paul Arnold. Send letters to Today's letter o' the day winner is … Keith Taylor, who gets some Football Weekly merch. We'll be in touch. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here. It's the latest Football Weekly pod and Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Philippe Auclair and Phil Kitromilides to chat all things Bigger Cup, FA Cup and Infantino v Trump. It's Alex Ibaceta on how Cata Coll became the present and future of Barcelona and Spain in a year. The only disappointing thing about about the absolutely filthy touch and lobbed goal scored by Sam Merson, son of Paul, for Hanworth Villa against Farnham Town is that he didn't do his father's iconic drinking celebration (which admittedly did have some baggage). It can't have been easy being Paul's son for a variety of reasons, but Sam has obviously inherited his dad's touch, cushioning a clipped pass out of the sky with his right foot, spinning around and smashing a volley with the same foot, all in one glorious move. Not what you might expect to see on a mid-week visit to Hounslow, although Football Daily can't claim to have spent too many Tuesday evenings at Hanworth Villa to be sure. Fifa has banned the former Gabon youth-team coach Patrick Assoumou Eyi, known as 'Capello', for life after its adjudicatory chamber found him guilty of committing repeated acts of sexual abuse against multiple players. Will the Gunners sink or swim as they return to the Round of Arsenal, asked Tuesday's Football Daily. As the letters section has already announced, the Gunners, um, beat PSV 7-1 in their Bigger Cup last-16 first leg. 'The happiest I am is because we are in a very strong position,' said Arteta, in his best Yoda voice. Advantage Real Madrid, in their Bigger Cup derby against Atlético. Sid Lowe was at the Bernabéu. Meanwhile, it was quite the night for Tyrone Mings and Aston Villa in Bruges. Arne Slot reckons Liverpool must present the best possible version of themselves against PSG. Newcastle's chief suit Darren Eales has come up with a novel plan and think selling the club's best player, Alexander Isak, probably isn't the Magpies' best interests. 'We know he's a world‑class player and others covet him,' sighed Eales. 'But it's annoying because it's almost as if we're seen as a club in the next category down and it's fair game to talk about our players leaving.' Meanwhile, a court has heard that a 'professional group of travelling burglars' broke into Isak's home and stole his car and jewellery worth about £68,000. At least Eales doesn't have to worry about anyone buying Lewis Hall. The Newcastle and England's left back is out for the season (and the Carabao Cup final later this month) with foot-ouch! Is José Mourinho open to managing Rangers or Celtic? Of course he is! The FA has used its 'powers' to call for Millwall's goalkeeper Liam Roberts to earn more than the standard three-match ban after his dropkick to Jean-Philippe Mateta's face at the weekend. 'The standard punishment for this offence is clearly insufficient,' roared a statement. And you've read that Burnley, the tight so and sos, finally conceded a goal on Tuesday night. Check in on the other Football League scores in our roundup. The 2026 Trade War World Cup captures our new nativist world order. That's the headline on this piece by Aaron Timms, and no, we couldn't think of a way to riff on that. Ed Aarons on Martin Ødegaard and changing the narrative. Jack Snape on how Melbourne women's football players are attempting to double their salary in just three games. And this week's Knowledge features yellow and red cards being shown before the start of matches, more tables as works of art, record numbers of away wins in league matches and 1-11 shirt numbers. Spring is upon us, here in the UK. The daffodils are out, as is the sun. Please enjoy Burnley players lapping up the rays and posing for a picture outside Turf Moor on 1 May 1962, four days prior to their 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup final. Just trying to imagine the reaction of Antonio Conte – who famously banned ketchup at Chelsea – to this photo.
BBC News
15-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
The stats behind Burnley's 1,000 minutes without conceding
In keeping a 24th Championship clean sheet of the season against Preston on Saturday, Burnley clocked up 1,000 minutes without conceding a league Clarets boast the most miserly defence in English professional football this season, have already set records with more than a quarter of the campaign remaining and are poised to make more Sport looks at some of the stats behind their success. Thou shalt not pass - the road to 1,000 minutes Burnley have now kept 11 league clean sheets in a row in the ChampionshipWatford's Kwadwo Baah scored the last league goal against the Clarets in the 80th minute of their meeting at Turf Moor on 21 December 2024 - 56 days ago (Burnley won the game 2-1)The Clarets are the first team in second-tier history to go 11 consecutive league games without concedingBurnley keeper James Trafford has only faced 21 shots on target in achieving his 11 successive clean sheets - including saving two penalties from Sunderland's Wilson IsidorNo team has had more than three shots on target against them in any of those gamesSix of Burnley's fixtures have finished goalless during the run. A season of solidity Burnley's frugalness is not a new phenomenon - but has been a feature of their football all Parker's side have conceded nine goals in 33 Championship games, and no team has scored more than a single goal against them during that runBurnley have only lost two league games all season, both away from home and both by 1-0 margins. The last loss was against Millwall on 4 November, with Sunderland the only other side to take maximum points against themWith 13 league games to play, Burnley are only one clean sheet short of matching the Championship record of 25 in a season, set by QPR in the 2010-11 campaignBurnley have kept nine clean sheets in their past 10 away league games (W6 D4), including each of their last six; since the rebrand in 2004-05, only Bournemouth in October 2021 (seven) and Stoke in December 2020 (six) have enjoyed a longer run of successive away clean sheets in the ChampionshipWolves are the only team to score twice against the Clarets all season - Goncalo Guedes scoring both goals in a 2-0 win for the Premier League side in the Carabao Cup back in August. The records that could still fall Burnley are currently third in the table, four points behind leaders Leeds United, who host Sunderland in their game in hand on Monday, and three adrift of second-placed Sheffield look certain to claim at least a play-off place and are on course to smash more records regardless of whether they win promotion or include:Fewest goals conceded in the Championship (30 - currently held by Watford in 2020-21 and Preston in 2005-06). Burnley are on nineFewest goals conceded in any league season in England (15 - currently held by Chelsea when they won the Premier League in 2004-05)Most clean sheets in an EFL season (27 - currently held by Wigan Athletic in League One in 2017-18). Burnley are on 24Most clean sheets in a row in English football history (14 - currently held by Manchester United and goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar in 2008-09, who played almost 22 hours without conceding a goal). Burnley are on 11Most clean sheets by a single keeper in a Championship season (24 - currently held by John Ruddy for Wolves in 2017-18 and Paddy Kenny for QPR in 2010-11) James Trafford has 23
