Latest news with #MarkCoyle
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘You can't take chances' – Joey O'Brien gives early injury update on Shelbourne duo after Champions League qualifier win
SHELBOURNE will continue to fly the flag in the Champions League after celebrating with a tricolour on the pitch. A Advertisement 2 Shelbourne advanced to the next round of the Champions League qualifiers with an aggregate win over Linfield Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 2 Mark Coyle, pictured, and Conor Kearns were both forced off injured Credit: Ben McShane/Sportsfile Ali Coote's opener was cancelled out by Chris Shields' penalty with Kerr McInroy's goal chalked off by VAR for a tug by Paddy Barrett. Ben Hall's straight red card made a Linfield comeback unlikely with Shels' celebrations at the final whistle showed what it meant. Barrett borrowed a flag from supporters with Evan Caffrey then gleefully waving it on the pitch as the few remaining Linfield fans booed. Shels boss Joey O'Brien said: 'I thought we were the better team over the two legs but you don't always get what you deserve. Advertisement Read More on Shelbourne 'This was always going to be a tough game but I thought we started well, got on the ball and dominated possession and we reacted well after the penalty. 'We had a worked set-play and you have that emotion where you're thinking you're ahead and then you have it taken off you. 'The lads were a little bit flat in the dressing room which was understandable. I said to them that was OK.' Shels face Fairview Rangers in an FAI Cup tie on Saturday before hosting Qarabag at Tolka Park on Wednesday before the second leg in Azerbaijan a week later. Advertisement Most read in Sport Breaking And O'Brien knows his side cannot afford to gift the sort of chances that keepers Conor Kearns and Lorcan Healy did in either half. O'Brien said: 'You definitely cannot give them away, it's not even about Europe. You probably don't get away with them normally. RTE pundit's one-liner about Damien Duff makes Joey O'Brien laugh after Shelbourne's win vs Linfield 'They were disappointing because I don't think from open play they cut us open or had outstanding chances, it was from our bad stuff. 'But I thought overall, apart from those couple of moments, it was really mature, especially the second half and I was disappointed we didn't get the winner in the game.' Advertisement The ex-Ireland international is also sweating on the fitness of no 1 Kearns and captain Mark Coyle, both of whom were forced off. He said: 'Mark was struggling with his knee, he wanted to keep going because he's a warrior and he would keep going to the death but on a recovery run he wasn't able to sprint and you can't take chances at this level. 'Conor felt his hamstring, I think he felt it a little bit earlier, and people probably thought he was wasting time, and then he felt it again on the next kick, so he had to come off. 'I suppose we just have to get him back down to Dublin, get him scanned, and just take it from there.' Advertisement
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Shels in 'new era' after Duff departure
Shelbourne captain Mark Coyle said their Champions League fixture against Linfield on Wednesday is an opportunity to make "new memories" after last month's departure of manager Damien Dublin side's meeting with the Northern Ireland champions at Tolka Park (19:45 BST) is their first fixture in Europe's top club competition in 20 years with both legs of the tie to be streamed live on the BBC Sport website and app. Duff, who won 100 caps for the Republic of Ireland, led Shelbourne to their first League of Ireland championship since 2006 last season, but their title defence proved a disappointment and the former Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers winger surprisingly quit last month with the side fifth in the manager Joey O'Brien, Duff's former assistant and international team-mate, earned his first victory at the third attempt at home to Cork City on Friday night, giving the side momentum going into their tie against David Healy's squad."It's been very good," said Coyle of the team's mood since Duff's shock departure."We obviously have huge respect and love for the ex-manager but now we're excited for the new era."The gaffer [O'Brien], it's been great. He's put his own stamp on things and you can see around the ground, there's obviously an excitement and it's just about creating new memories now." Former West Ham and Bolton Wanderers defender O'Brien said he has maintained his good relationship with Duff since the title-winning manager's departure, while the 39-year-old does not feel his ascension into the top job has been a disruption."A lot has changed but a lot hasn't changed really, it's still the same sort of thing," O'Brien said."I'm coaching every day, I'm out on the pitch every day. Obviously I had a great relationship with the man before us [so] I would have had a lot of say in a lot of meetings and taken a lot of meetings and stuff like that."Coyle believes O'Brien has "got all the attributes" to be a successful manager and added that the start of their Champions League campaign has helped maintain the "good buzz" around the the two decades since they last played in the competition, Shelbourne have endured multiple relegations, financial struggles and uncertainty over the future of their home what he called "dark years", the skipper said that the supporters deserve an occasion such as Wednesday night."The fans were here long before us, and will be here long after us, so for them it's obviously a massive occasion as well and it's what they deserve for what they've been through," he said. "We're just glad we gave them the opportunity, but now it's about going out there and putting on a performance and making sure that they can cheer again."
Irish Independent
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘It's about creating new memories' – Shels captain Mark Coyle embraces Joey O'Brien era ahead of Linfield Champions League tie
Shelbourne captain Mark Coyle believes that the 'recharge' provided by Joey O'Brien taking the reins at Tolka Park has given the group the platform to embrace a big European opportunity and prove there is life after Damien Duff.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gophers Secure P.J. Fleck for the Long Run
The Minnesota Gophers football team has seen one of the best recruiting cycles in recent memory. Not only has head coach P.J. Fleck kept in-state talent home, but he has done a great job bring talent to Dinkytown. Minnesota has an important season ahead of them in that the schedule sets up favorably. They could be a dark horse not only in the Big Ten, but may play their way into national relevance as well. Advertisement P.J. Fleck has been a solidifying force for the program since taking over, and now he's destined to last a bit longer. Related Headlines P.J. Fleck gets an extension with Minnesota Gophers Although P.J. Fleck wasn't heading towards contract uncertainty, athletic director Mark Coyle tacked on another year of security for his head football coach. The new extension keeps Fleck with the Minnesota Gophers at least through the 2030 season. 'Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck will get a one-year contract extension with increased retention bonuses, pending approval at the next Board of Regents meeting July 11…Under the new deal, Fleck's salary would remain $6 million, but he would receive a $1 million retention bonus after Year 1 and $1.6 million after Year 6. All told, Fleck's new deal would pay him an additional $2.3 million in retention bonuses. The university said Fleck's deal, including the retention bonuses, would rank tied for 11th in total salary out of 18 Big Ten football head coaches.' Joe Christensen – Star Tribune Fleck took over the Minnesota program in 2017 after spending four years as the head coach of Western Michigan. In eight years with the Gophers he owns a 97-58 (.598) record. He has taken the Gophers to six bowl games and has wins in all of them. Advertisement The Minnesota Gophers football program has struggled to remain relevant in previous decades, but Fleck has been a stabilizing force for the university. It's something that athletic director Mark Coyle also noted when talking about the impending extension. 'P.J. has consistently recruited and coached teams that Minnesotans can be proud of on and off the field. The program has produced record GPAs and 10 Academic All-Americans under Fleck, and his teams have won a consistent level not seen in more than 75 years. He has added significant value to the University, its student athletes and all of Minnesota. It is critical that we keep him.' Mark Coyle – Star Tribune This current run has consistently resulted in multiple NFL draft picks. Fleck has proven an ability to develop top-tier talent and good men. That was on display during the recent Minnesota Gophers pro day. Related: Max Brosmer Already Turning Heads Inside MN Vikings Organization The university is certainly bought into the 'Row the Boat' mantra, and is looking forward to having their leader around for the long haul. Advertisement Related Headlines
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gophers seek naming-rights deal for Williams Arena as the U financial needs grow
The Gophers athletics department is exploring a potential naming-rights deal for Williams Arena and the U will partner with Independent Sports & Entertainment in the process, the U said Thursday. This is part of the U's efforts to create more revenue streams with the incoming estimated annual expense of $20.5 million in revenue sharing to student-athletes. That's known as the 'House settlement' and it's expected to be finalized this month and start later this year. The naming-rights for the venue nicknamed The Barn 'is a tremendous opportunity for a company to align themselves with the University of Minnesota and with Gopher Athletics,' Director of Athletics Mark Coyle said in a statement. 'We look forward to working with ISE to find a naming rights partner that will help us continue to provide world-class experiences for our student-athletes.' For fiscal year 2024, the Gophers reported $151.1 million in total operating revenues and $152.5 million in total operating expenses. The goal for the U is a balanced budget, but it's unclear how the U will carve out funds for this big new expense. 'We've been making hard decisions within our athletics department in terms of some of the things we will do as we move forward to help cover that cost of $20.5 million,' Athletics Director Mark Coyle told reporters on March 14. 'We feel very confident that we will be at that revenue share number. … We feel like we will get there. We feel confident about that and feel like we will give our program the best chance to succeed.' A naming-rights deal the venue nicknamed 'The Barn' would help shrink the financial gap but not bridge it by itself. For example, the Gophers and 3M in 2017 entered into a 14-year, $11.2 million sponsorship agreement for naming rights to the home of men's hockey, Mariucci Arena. It's now known as 3M Arena at Mariucci. During the pandemic, the Gophers cut three men's sports — gymnastics, tennis and track and field — at the end of the 2020-21 academic year. Coyle said a budget shortfall and Title IX compliance were two reasons why cuts were necessary. The U currently has a combined 22 men's and women's sports and it's unclear if more individual sports teams might cease operations in the near future. ISE, according to its website, is an agency that works in management, sales, consulting and marketing, with services in strategic guidance, brand creation and global partnerships. They list a handful of clients, including ESPN, the College Football Playoff, the WNBA and college programs such as Mississippi, West Virginia, Vanderbilt and Washington State among others. Due to the revenue sharing demands, Coyle said in March that the U has set aside a plan to explore remodeling options for Williams Arena. A year ago, the Gophers tabbed Populous, an architectural design firm, to do a feasibility study into building a new venue or possible renovations of the existing arena, which first opened in 1928. When remodeled in 1950, the home of the men's and women's basketball teams was named Williams Arena after Dr. Henry L. Williams, a former Gophers football coach (1900-21) who did not have deep connections to U basketball. If the U secures a naming-rights parter, they plan to recognize within the stadium Williams Arena's nearly 100-year-old history and Dr. Williams, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Gophers men's basketball welcomes two new players Wednesday How Gophers coach Niko Medved will go into the NCAA transfer portal Two Gophers recruits back out of men's basketball program Niko Medved's path to Gophers included steering him off hockey rinks Another Gophers men's basketball player enters NCAA transfer portal
