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BBC News
15-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Chelsea 'gone from looking uncoachable to winning and cohesive'
Winning the Club World Cup can be a game-changer for Chelsea's "belief" and they now look a "cohesive" Blues stunned European champions Paris St-Germain 3-0 in the final of the competition on Sunday and secured their second trophy of the season after winning the Conference League in the importance of the latest piece of silverware on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha said: "For their belief, yes [it can be a game-changer]. For the fanbase, absolutely yes."It wasn't that long ago when there were fan protests outside the stadium, saying they should be contesting and they don't like the way the club is doing their business, the ownership, etc. But they have just seen their team go and win a tournament which has featured the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City, Boca Juniors, PSG, who up until Sunday felt like the best team in the world."So, it does matter and for them. They are the only team that can say their summer was not wasted. They went for that tournament, they are lifting that trophy and the next time someone can do that is in four years' time."Enzo Maresca has had a tonne of criticism and one thing about this squad is that it was a young squad. One thing that has been shown across this past year is that they are coachable, they are getting better."Ex-England midfielder Izzy Christiansen agreed, adding: "Around this time last season, or towards the start of last season, they didn't look like a team who were coachable and they looked like a team that had friction in the dressing room and didn't know where they stood - but they have rectified that issue."They brought in Willie Isa, who has a rugby league background. I would describe him as a cultural architect. Somebody who knows culture in sport and how to proverbially 'sweep the shed'."It doesn't surprise me they now have two trophies with the Conference League and Club World Cup. But what's next? I don't know, because it also depends on the strengthening of the teams in the Premier League this season."If they have gone from looking uncoachable and not very cohesive to winning and being cohesive, that says something."Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds
The Sun
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
BBC & ITV's women's Euros coverage is woke & dull but one dumb decision shows how hypocritical they really are
BLANKET coverage of the women's Euros has arrived with all the flair of your last tax return and a level of woke hypocrisy so extreme it could make Joey Barton's brain explode into half a dozen tiny pieces. For the secret rules of sports broadcasting clearly now state the following. 5 In the name of diversity, equality and all that is progressive, you must have as many women as possible on any panel of experts discussing men's football. However . . . In the name of diversity, equality and all that is progressive, you must also have as few men as possible on any panel of experts discussing women's football. And preferably no white ones. Given these outrageous double standards, I wasn't exactly surprised when ITV and the BBC released their studio line-ups, before the tournament began, and revealed (one Nathan Blake cameo aside) the only bloke who'd be allowed to show his face on screen was the Beeb's Nedum Onuoha. What did genuinely shock me, however, was that ITV had found room for the bland Eni Aluko, following her shameful attack on Ian Wright, who she accused of 'blocking' opportunities for women, but had ditched Wrighty, one of the media's most passionate advocates for women's football. I'd be angry on his behalf, but early signs suggest he's the one who dodged a bullet in Switzerland. Because, Spain and France aside, the football has been wretched and the coverage so grindingly dull you shouldn't attempt to watch it unless you have a coping strategy or the same strength of character as ITV host Laura Woods, who fixed her rictus grin in place, day one, and said: 'We're very excited by this one. Finland versus Iceland.' Likewise, it's not a spontaneous expression of love for the beautiful game that has the poor fans averaging 4.37 Mexican waves per match, it's the lack of any alternative entertainment. Grindingly dull I've also an element of sympathy for the normally ebullient BBC commentator Jonathan Pearce who's had to lose himself in the stunning Alpine scenery and pub- emptying trivia for long periods of play. 'Caroline Graham Hansen is famous in Norway, but not as famous as her dog,' said Jonathan during one particularly bleak phase of the Finland game. 'She has a cockapoo with 34 million TikTok likes,' he added, before deciding silence was the better option. I say 'sympathy' here because, just like war, the first casualty of women's football is the truth. The new Lionesses set to make their mark at the Women's Euro's as England kick off their title defence against France Unlike the men's game, where it's compulsory, commentators and pundits must not utter a single word that could be interpreted as scorn or even light mockery, which means you start having to provide your own translation service. 'That touch was a bit heavy.' (She just trod on the ball, mate.) 'A little bit of an error from Anna, in goal.' (Anna nearly booted herself in the head taking an air swipe at a back pass.) 'That was quite the attempt on goal.' (F*** me, it nearly landed in the next canton.) If they think they're fooling anyone here, they're not. 5 5 All this Stalinist approach actually does is betray the broadcasters' patronising lack of faith in the product. Even if there was a sudden outburst of honesty in Switzerland, however, there would still be a basic lack of journalism from both channels, as was demonstrated on Sunday when I waited to hear the BBC and ITV panels discuss the breaking news injured German superstar Giulia Gwinn would play no further part in the tournament. And waited . . . and waited. But it never came. An omission that told me, with Germany potentially playing England in the quarter-finals, the production teams aren't half as enchanted by women's football as the presenters would like you to believe. Still, as we saw from Lucy Ward and Katie Shanahan's pre-match banter before England lost to France, there is one area of the women's Euros that can match the men's game: The noble art of getting ahead of yourself. 'The French just wilt under a little bit of pressure.' 'Will England win tonight then?' 'Yes, yes . . . draw. (winks to camera) Win win win.' But, hey, at least it wasn't two men talking absolute bollocks. BONO IN FLAP AT LIVE AID 5 THE first two episodes of BBC2's hugely entertaining mini-series Live Aid At 40 were a stark reminder that lots of the musicians still miss the point about rock 'n' roll's most famous gig. None of them did it quite so pretentiously as Bono, though, who claimed a spiritual kinship with Ethiopians, on account of the Irish potato famine, but was reluctant to watch the concert footage because, back in 1985, he was having 'a bad hair day' and struggling with a mullet which flapped around like one of the mudguards on an Eddie Stobart wagon. U2's frontman was also seen muttering darkly about 'colonialism and slavery' at the start of the documentary. A train of thought not even the Beeb was shameless enough to indulge for the simple reason Ethiopia has never been colonised. Back in the 1980s, however, under the brutal left-wing dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam, it was infected by Soviet-backed Marxism which, as it always does, turned a drought into a global catastrophe and hundreds of thousands of its own citizens into dust. Nowadays, of course, the BBC and other woke apologists would probably blame all of this evil on 'the West' and Israel. In those happy, less self-loathing times, though, Band Aid had the great good fortune to be led by Bob Geldof, who wasn't just smarter than everyone else, he was more courageous as well, offering the most satisfying response imaginable when Mengistu tried to tap him for £1 million at their first meeting. 'I walked up to him, very sharply and just said, 'I think you're a c***'.' Random TV irritations ITV'S women's Euros coverage narrowing the gap between advert breaks to an astonishing 32 seconds, on Monday. Fred Sirieix's ego trampling all over the new First Dates. Any Love Island scene accompanied by the subtitle 'squelching'. Martin Lewis clearly imagining he's so wonderful he can just present GMB in a white T-shirt. And ITV's woeful Transaction leaving me with nothing more than the forlorn hope television executives might one day return to commissioning sitcoms by people who are actually funny, rather than people they would just like to be funny. Lookalike of the week 5 Sent in Peter Campbell, Leeds. TV gold BOB GELDOF always remaining the most impressive human being in the room on BBC2's Live Aid At 40: When Rock 'n' Roll Took On The World. BBC4's hugely uplifting Storyville: Inside The San Quentin Prison Marathon, a documentary with the undeniable air of The Shawshank Redemption. Channel 4's 24 Hours in Police Custody (Nightclub Predator) detailing the decline of humanity in its usual unforgiving fashion. And Susanna Reid's eyebrows shooting through the lighting gantry when Richard Madeley told Stephen Morgan, MP, the Under-Secretary of State for Early Education: 'The fact of the matter is, just over a year in, this government is in a tungsten jockstrap, isn't it?' On that bombshell . . . Great sporting insights DAVID CROFT: 'Verstappen in sixth, overtakes Stroll and moves into tenth.' Jermain Defoe: 'Elliot is a goal scorer, which means he scores goals.' Sorba Thomas: 'Even though we lost the game, I think we won it.' (Compiled by Graham Wray) lTV hero of the week? BBC Breakfast's Charlie Stayt, who listened with mounting impatience to the insufferable Steve Coogan, hijack an item about the Cooperative Congress, with his own hectoring brand of left-wing student politics, until the host could take no more and decided to short-circuit the interview by asking the comedian if he thought anyone at the event would: 'Get you to say 'a-ha'?' A question that went down as badly as you'd expect. But it didn't half shut him up and I could've hugged Charlie. GREAT TV lies and delusions of the week. Celebrity Gogglebox, Alison Hammond watching footage of Rod Stewart at Glastonbury: 'Hey, I could be there on someone's shoulders, swaying.' Which reminds me, at Christmas, Channel 5 has just confirmed it will be broadcasting all heats and the final of World's Strongest Man. LOVE Island, Friday, Helena: 'I think me and Harry have got something that's quite rare, but I don't know what it is . . .' Scabies? CHANNEL 5, Sunday, 9pm: Insomnia. Channel 5, Sunday, 9.07pm: Insomnia cured.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What's happened with Diaz so far this summer?
Liverpool have rejected a formal approach from Bayern Munich for Luis Diaz - but how did we get to this point? After scoring 13 goals and registering seven assists in the Reds' title-winning Premier League campaign, speculation surrounding the Colombia international's future has rumbled throughout the summer so far. Advertisement First, both Diaz and his girlfriend posted lengthy social media posts that could be interpreted as farewell messages, with the winger saying: "Anyone who plays for this badge is bound to miss this incredible atmosphere one day." Speculation then ramped up after some Diaz comments while on international duty. "The transfer market is opening, and we're trying to arrange what's best for us," he said. "I'm waiting to see what happens. "If Liverpool gives us a good extension or I have to see out my two-year contract, I'll be happy. It all depends on them. I'm here to decide and see what's best for us and the future." Advertisement Liverpool then rejected an approach from Barcelona to speak to the 28-year-old, with fans on this page split over whether the club should push to keep Diaz or if this would be the right time to facilitate an exit. Our pundit, former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha, said "contingency plans" to replace him "will be in place" and Liverpool "never felt like they were his final destination". After the latest approach, Bayern director of sport Max Eberl has been informed the Reds have no intention of selling Diaz and will not enter into discussions for the attacker. However, his relatively low weekly wage means the speculation may not go away, despite his current contract running until the summer of 2027.
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
What's happened with Diaz so far this summer?
Liverpool have rejected a formal approach from Bayern Munich for Luis Diaz - but how did we get to this point?After scoring 13 goals and registering seven assists in the Reds' title-winning Premier League campaign, speculation surrounding the Colombia international's future has rumbled throughout the summer so both Diaz and his girlfriend posted lengthy social media posts that could be interpreted as farewell messages, with the winger saying: "Anyone who plays for this badge is bound to miss this incredible atmosphere one day."Speculation then ramped up after some Diaz comments while on international duty."The transfer market is opening, and we're trying to arrange what's best for us," he said. "I'm waiting to see what happens."If Liverpool gives us a good extension or I have to see out my two-year contract, I'll be happy. It all depends on them. I'm here to decide and see what's best for us and the future."Liverpool then rejected an approach from Barcelona to speak to the 28-year-old, with fans on this page split over whether the club should push to keep Diaz or if this would be the right time to facilitate an pundit, former Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha, said "contingency plans" to replace him "will be in place" and Liverpool "never felt like they were his final destination".After the latest approach, Bayern director of sport Max Eberl has been informed the Reds have no intention of selling Diaz and will not enter into discussions for the his relatively low weekly wage means the speculation may not go away, despite his current contract running until the summer of 2027.
BBC News
29-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Should Everton have kept hold of Calvert-Lewin?
Dominic Calvert-Lewin says leaving Everton "isn't something I chose lightly" - but should the club have done more to keep hold of the striker?The 28-year-old confirmed on Sunday he will become a free agent when his contract expires at the end of the month."After nine remarkable years, I've made the incredibly difficult decision - together with my family - to begin a new chapter in my career," Calvert-Lewin, who scored 71 goals in 273 games after joining Everton from Sheffield United for £1.5m in 2016, posted on social media."This isn't something I chose lightly. Everton has been my home since I was 19 years old. It's the place that saw potential in me, challenged me to grow and shaped me both as a footballer and as a man."I want to express my gratitude to all the managers and coaches I've worked with over the years and to my team-mates who have become life-long friends."Earlier in June, BBC Sport pundit Nedum Onuoha said he thought Everton should retain Calvert-Lewin, but on reduced former Manchester City defender added: "He is worth keeping for now because is there cover if Everton decide to let him go? Do they have someone who can fill those boots straight away?"I do not think Calvert-Lewin himself, nor anyone at Everton, really expects him to be a guaranteed starter going forward."If the club can find a way to offer him a new deal - on a reduced wage and perhaps appearance-based clauses - then I would keep him as a squad player."What do you think? Should the Blues have kept Calvert-Lewin rather than let him leave on a free? Do Everton need to sign a replacement - and, if so, who should they now target? Get in touch with your thoughts here
