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Daily Mirror
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Premier League pre-season schedules including Man City and Chelsea concerns
Most Premier League teams are already back on their training pitches despite Chelsea still having a game to play before finally bringing the 2024/25 campaign to a close Chelsea are yet to conclude their 2024/25 season but most of their Premier League rivals are already back from holidays and getting stuck into their pre-season programmes. And while Enzo Maresca's team look to win the Club World Cup in New Jersey on Sunday night, pocketing a prize just shy of £100m, several domestic opponents will have already taken part in their first friendly of the summer with Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland in action on Saturday. Manchester City find themselves in a similar position to Chelsea despite their Club World Cup campaign coming to a close a fortnight earlier. And Pep Guardiola has already said that the other Premier League sides will have a 'huge advantage' over City and Chelsea. 'I try not to think about it, otherwise I will be so anxious,' Guardiola said while at the Club World Cup. 'We will rest the time the Premier League allows us to. And game by game, month by month, we will see. 'And maybe in November, December, January, ask me, Pep. I may say: 'So listen, we are a disaster. We are exhausted. The World Cup destroyed us.' I don't know, but it's the first time in our life that that's happened. So we will see. 'So I try to be relaxed, to enjoy the days here, the good vibes that we have, the competition, to try to win it. And the most important thing, to recover, to find or re-find ourselves what we were. This is my main target in this tournament.' As a consequence City have so far confirmed only one pre-season game against Palermo in Sicily on August 9. Chelsea, meanwhile, have pencilled in matches against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan on August 8 and 10 at Stamford Bridge. That is stark contrast to Arsenal having five games, three while on a tour of Singapore and Hong Kong, and Aston Villa playing six matches including on a trip to America. Manchester United, who hosted two money-spinning post-season friendlies in Asia, have confirmed five more friendlies, while newly-promoted Sunderland have listed nine fixtures starting with a double header against local non-League opponents Gateshead and South Shields this Saturday. Pre-season fixtures Arsenal 23 July v AC Milan (Singapore) 27 July v Newcastle (Singapore) 31 July v Spurs (Hong Kong) 5 August v Villarreal (H) (Emirates Cup) 9 August v Athletic Club (H) (Emirates Cup) Aston Villa 16 July v Walsall (A) 19 July v Hansa Rostock (A) 26 July v Eintracht Frankfurt (A) 30 July v St. Louis City SC (A) 2 August v Nashville SC (A) 6 August v AS Roma (H) AFC Bournemouth 15 July v Hibernian (H) 19 July v Bristol City (H) 26 July v Everton (New Jersey) 31 July (02:30 BST) v Man Utd (Chicago) 3 August v West Ham (Atlanta) 9 August v Real Sociedad B (H) 9 August v Real Sociedad (H) Brentford 2 August v Queens Park Rangers (A) 8 August v Borussia Monchengladbach (H) Brighton & Hove Albion 2 August v Southampton (A) 9 August v Wolfsburg (H) Burnley 26 July v Huddersfield Town (A) 26 July v Shrewsbury Town (A) 2 August v Stoke City (A) 9 August v Lazio (H) Chelsea 8 August v Bayer Leverkusen (H) 10 August v AC Milan (H) Crystal Palace 12 July v Millwall (Behind closed doors) 25 July v Crawley Town (A) 29 July v Mainz (Austria) 1 August v Augsburg (Austria) 10 August v Liverpool (FA Community Shield, Wembley) Everton 15 July v Accrington Stanley (A) 19 July v Blackburn Rovers (A) 26 July v Bournemouth (New Jersey) 30 July v West Ham (Chicago) 3 August v Man Utd (Atlanta) 9 August v AS Roma (H) Fulham 9 August v Eintracht Frankfurt (H) Leeds 19 July v Man United (Stockholm) 2 August v Villarreal (H) 9 August v AC Milan (Aviva Stadium) Liverpool 13 July v Preston North End (A) 26 July v AC Milan (Hong Kong) 30 July v Yokohama F. Marinos (Japan) 4 August v Athletic Club (H) 10 August v Crystal Palace (FA Community Shield) Man City 9 August v Palermo FC (Sicily) Man Utd 28 May ASEAN All Stars 1-0 Man Utd (Kuala Lumpur) 30 May Hong Kong 1-3 Man Utd (Hong Kong) 19 July v Leeds United (Stockholm) 27 July (00:00 BST) v West Ham (New Jersey) 31 July (02:30 BST) v Bournemouth (Chicago) 3 August v Everton (Atlanta) 9 August v Fiorentina (H) Newcastle 19 July v Celtic (A) (Adidas Trophy) 27 July v Arsenal (Singapore) TBC July/August v K-League Select XI (South Korea) TBC July/August v Spurs (South Korea) 9 August v Atletico Madrid (H) (The Sela Cup) Nottingham Forest 12 July v Chesterfield (A) 19 July v TBC (TBC) 2 August v Birmingham City (A) (Francis Memorial Match) TBC v ACF Fiorentina (A) 9 August v Al Qadsiah (H) Sunderland 12 July v Gateshead (A) 12 July v South Shield (A) 19 July v Sevilla FC (Estadio Algarve) 21 July v Sporting CP (Estadio Algarve) 26 July v Heart of Midlothian (A) 29 July v Hull City (A) 2 August v Real Betis (H) 9 August v Augsburg (A) 10 August v Rayo Vallecano (H) Spurs 19 July v Reading (A) 31 July v Arsenal (Hong Kong) 7 August v Bayern Munich (Munich) TBC July/August v Newcastle (South Korea) 13 August v Paris Saint-Germain (UEFA Super Cup, Udine, Italy) West Ham 19 July v Grasshopper Club Zurich (A) 27 July (00:00 BST) v Man Utd (New Jersey) 30 July v Everton (Chicago) 3 August v Bournemouth (Atlanta) 9 August v Lille OSC (H) Wolves 26 July v Stoke City (A) 30 July v RC Lens (Bescot Stadium) 3 August v Girona (A) 9 August v Celta Vigo (A) Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. 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Wales Online
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
First glimpse of Brian Barry-Murphy's Cardiff City emerges as screaming instruction speaks volumes
First glimpse of Brian Barry-Murphy's Cardiff City emerges as screaming instruction speaks volumes The Bluebirds played a behind-closed-doors friendly against Merthyr Town before heading out to Spain Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy (Image: Cardiff City FC ) Cardiff City's pre-season really is in full flow now, with Brian Barry-Murphy stamping his ideas more clearly with each passing day. The players and coaching staff are about to begin their pre-season in earnest with two games out in Spain, against Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta'zim FC and Southend United. However, before they hopped on a flight to Spain, they played a behind-closed-doors friendly in their first match under the new head coach. Here, we take a look at how things are progressing and how the squad is starting to take shape under the watch of the Irishman. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community. Merthyr friendly The first actual game Cardiff played under Barry-Murphy was against non-League side Merthyr Town at the weekend. The Bluebirds took part in a behind-closed-doors friendly against newly-promoted National League North side the Martyrs, so the new head coach could get a closer look at how his charges are progressing. Cardiff claimed a very convincing win over the fellow Welsh side, as would be expected, in what would have hopefully been a useful exercise for Barry-Murphy and his staff. Article continues below In a short video put out by the club, the likes of Yousef Salech, Tanatswa Nyakuhwa and Luke Pearce are all seen getting on the score sheet, while Merthyr sources waxed lyrical about the performances of Rubin Colwill and Salech. How much can be read into these players' performances against such opposition is likely minimal, but it was heartening to see the vast majority of players involved, including those with transfer speculation supposedly hanging over them such as Alex Robertson and Salech himself. Fans who watched the minute-long clip were encouraged by the pace of the build-up play — something which has been heavily criticised at Cardiff in recent years — and sharpness and crispness of the passing and movement. Heavily involved, as is likely to be the case under Barry-Murphy, were ball-playing midfielders Joel Colwill, Eli King, Robertson, Rubin Colwill and, notably, Ryan Wintle. Wintle returns to the club, having played a prominent role in the Erol Bulut side which finished 12th in the Championship, before an apparent difference in opinion between the two parties saw the player moved on. Ryan Wintle of Cardiff City He sealed a move to Millwall, but in truth he played a bit-part role at The Den last season. However sources claim he has impressed the new coaching team and it would be no surprise to see him play a big part this season. Cardiff are devoid of leaders following the departures of Joe Ralls, Aaron Ramsey and Callum O'Dowda, but Wintle returns to bolster that department in some capacity. While I was unsuccessful in spotting a captain's arm band in that Merthyr Town clip, it would be little surprise to see the midfielder skipper the side on Wednesday night in Cardiff's first game in front of fans at the Pinatar Arena. Content cannot be displayed without consent Murcia training These players have something to prove after relegation, but make no mistake, Barry-Murphy will feel the same. Having garnered a reputation as one of the finest coaches in the country, he will want to convince everyone that his ability on the grass can be translated into winning football matches and, ultimately, titles or promotions. And even in the short training clip the club have posted of their first day of training, it's clear to see the sort of messages being conveyed and the high-octane football Barry-Murphy wants to implement. In one small-sided game, Rubin Colwill loses the ball and doesn't attempt to win it back quickly enough, which prompts a loud bark from his head coach. "Press it, Rubin! Press it, Rubin!" instructed Barry-Murphy. "Not dynamic enough on the turnover, press it!" Even the attention to detail when King, who is likely to enjoy Barry-Murphy's style of play, picked the ball up on the half turn before whipping it into space was evident. "Kingy, Kingy, Kingy, good body shape, let's go!" the head coach shouted encouragingly from the sideline. Another positive snippet was seeing Callum Robinson in full flow. The Republic of Ireland international did not partake in much of the pre-season schedule before meeting up with the squad in Murcia, however he was front and centre during much of the shooting drills, finding the back of the net with regularity. Callum Robinson in pre-season training (Image: Cardiff City FC ) The striker is someone who will be viewed as a big asset, especially in League One, a level he should be too good for, and if Cardiff have designs on forcing their way into the top two this season, someone with his skillset, experience and knowledge of where the back of the net is will be very useful. Article continues below Whether he is part of the squad of the game on Wednesday night or whether Barry-Murphy will opt to wait for Saturday's clash with Southend to give him a run-out remains to be seen. The only other senior players not on the pre-season trip are Perry Ng, who hurt his knee during the first day of pre-season training and is expected to be out for five weeks, thus missing the start of the season, and Jak Alnwick. Alnwick, it's understood, has suffered a back spasm and will be out for a couple of weeks. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here.
Daily Mirror
28-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
'They told me I wouldn't survive in football but 14 years later I'm still here'
Husband and wife John and Carolyn Radford have nurtured one of English football's steadiest success stories - no Hollywood showbiz, no firing managers every five minutes, just putting unfashionable Mansfield Town on the map She is the first lady of Mansfield who has presided over two promotions, a Wembley play-off final and English football's fourth longest-serving manager. Now she is having a new stand, padel courts, bars and restaurants built at the One Call stadium. Soon it will be a ground fit for a Stag party every week. And as the Lionesses prepare for their defence of England's Euros crown in Switzerland, she remains a shining light for girl power in boardrooms where women are still hopelessly outnumbered by men in suits. When Carolyn Radford was appointed chief executive at Mansfield back in 2011 aged 29, social media's sneering court of public opinion dismissed her recruitment as a 'publicity stunt.' She laughs at the cheap shot now. 'Some publicity stunt,' giggled Radford on a Zoom call from Mansfield's windswept training ground. 'I wonder if they think running around after my three sons at home is a publicity stunt as well.' Apologies to double Olympic gold medallist and queen of the pool Rebecca Adlington, another proud daughter of the Nottinghamshire hinterlands, but Radford and her husband John, the owner and insurance tycoon who lifted his home-town club out of the non-League long grass, are making the biggest splash in Mansfield now. Like Oldham's Frank and Judith Rothwell, they are the husband-and-wife double act at the sharp end of an EFL operation. Sadly, Radford does not hear many more female voices in boardrooms than she first observed when Mansfield were on their uppers 15 years ago. These days, the barbs are not as direct as comedians Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse's reference point for sexists, the sketch with dinosaur pundits telling a female interviewer: 'Where's the bloke, love? Two sugars, please.' But apart from the likes of West Ham baroness Karen Brady, Bolton chairman Sharon Britton and Leicester CEO Susan Whelan, women at English football's top tables are still thin on the ground. 'Sometimes it's still a bit awkward, but we have come a long way in women's football, in terms of our visibility in the game,' she said. "It's been a male-dominated industry for 150 years and you have to learn to navigate your way through it. 'For a husband-and-wife team maybe it's a different dynamic. For us there's no separation. Business and family are always combined, I've got a voice here and if things go wrong it's always my fault! The Lionesses winning the Euros three years ago was massive and, without wanting to be the kiss of death, I wish them the very best of luck in Switzerland because of what they can do for women and girls in football as a whole. 'We need to celebrate the women who are out there driving the game forward, especially if they are juggling other parts of their lives, and we have each other's backs. I don't have a perfect recipe - there are days when one of the children is sick, for instance, and there aren't enough hours in the day to cope with it all. 'But I'm proud of the fact we have had the same manager for nearly five years. Nigel and his staff are so easy to work with, and continuity has its virtues. I'm glad we are not one of these clubs who sack the manager every few months because starting all over again means a new voice, a new culture, new methods… it must be like getting remarried.' Radford, now 43, has seen gates double at Field Mill on her watch and the fan zone, with its marquee, DJ, music and family atmosphere, has improved the matchday experience markedly. 'Mansfield is a close-knit community and I wanted to reflect that in our demographics on match days,' she said. 'You've got to be so careful when you are cultivating a football club because it matters to so many people. It's brilliant to put them on the map but a it's not a plaything. 'It takes over your whole life and consumes you, but you also have to enjoy it. But it's still a fantastic industry to work in. You keep smiling, you keep being resilient - there is no set formula, it's not like teaching GCSE maths.'
The Irish Sun
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Damien Duff was a box office and a dream for media – but ex-Shelbourne boss' impact on League of Ireland is overblown
SATIRICAL news site Waterford Whispers wrote a story this week about football journalists camping outside Damien Duff's house begging him to return. It was fairly close to the truth. 2 Damien Duff shocked fans by leaving Shelbourne Credit: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile 2 He has been praised as one of the league's most defining personalities Credit: Seb Daly/Sportsfile And it wasn't just Duff's absolute dedication to Shels, authenticity and great one-liners made him a dream for the media. Our audiences seemed to love it too with even non-League of reading and listening. Read More on Damien Duff And how could you not? Whether it was wanting to bulldoze But it still feels to me like all the talk about what he did for the But And there are no additional benefits to the game of Most read in Football I'm sure there were some who read the articles or saw the videos and decided to buy But the League of Ireland's success post-Covid has many parents. Damien Duff mercilessly trolled by rival fans over bizarre attempt to go incognito while serving ban Duffer is the most recognisable but others have played their part. A fortnight ago, when Virgin Media revealed its top-five most-watched LOI ties so far this season, Shels featured twice — highlighting the league's growth is not just down to Duff. Nevertheless, while I think the Ireland great's importance to the LOI has been overestimated, what he did for his club is perhaps underestimated. He took his first senior managerial role with a newly promoted team that was about to go full-time with all the growing pains that that can bring. The club has also had three different principle owners in his four years as gaffer and has seen many front-office changes as it adjusts to being a top dog. But through it all, he guided them to an FAI Cup final in his first year, a top-four place in his second and a title in his third. Yes, he had a decent budget. But it was far from the biggest and the League of Ireland is one where you have to speculate to accumulate and collect the big cheques from Which is why it's even more puzzling that he left two weeks out from a But Shels fans will never forget how he restored them to former glories like when they won titles under Dermot Keely and Pat Fenlon. Rival fans won't forget it either. Still, flak from opponents will not disappear because Duff got going. Shels were a big club that — in the eyes of their rivals — became a small one. Duff made them big again and his departure will not change that.
Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
From Man Utd failure to shot at Wembley glory for EFL's most under-rated manager
Richie Wellens is aiming to bring Leyton Orient to the Championship on Sunday having learnt up close from Sir Alex Ferguson when a young player at Manchester United Twenty five years have passed but Richie Wellens still wakes up regretful about the opportunity not seized. By his own estimation Leyton Orient's manager had all the ability to be a fixture at Manchester United during the peak of Sir Alex Ferguson 's reign. 'I was talented enough,' he says. 'But I just didn't dedicate myself.' Rather than linger on his failure to 'max out', though, Wellens has channelled his disappointment into ensuring the young players he is developing in East London do not fall into the same trap. It is certainly working. If he can seal promotion to the Championship in Sunday's play-off with Charlton, the rest of English football will have their eyes opened wide to one of the country's most impressive homegrown managers. Wellens arrived at Brisbane Road in March 2022 with Orient staring a return to non-League in the face. They are now one win away from their first season in the second tier since 1982 and a club that has long felt it does not deserve nice things has flipped the narrative. 'A bit like Tottenham,' Wellens says, with a sigh that reflects the hurt at seeing how far his boyhood club have slipped. But his experience at United, featuring in underage teams alongside Wes Brown and John O'Shea before making a solitary first-team appearance, served as the foundation to his management. Seeing the intensity of Roy Keane in training, learning from the methods and manipulations of Ferguson instilled a winning mentality. 'What I saw was a manager whose will to win filtered down no matter what it takes,' he says. 'The late goals were unbelievable. People called it Fergie Time but it was a pure belief that we were going to win. 'If you wanted to play football, he'd out-football you. If you wanted to fight and scrap against him, he'd have a fighter. The mentality they had. Football 's a bit different now, back then they could kick you, but they left an imprint on me.' Still, he is more than aware how much has changed since those infamous days when young players at the training ground would be locked into tumble dryers and skips. 'It was brutal but back then it was the norm. Would I have changed it? Not at all, not a little bit.' That his own sons - Charlie, recently released by Reading, and Alfie, at Orient - are charting their own paths informs his thinking further. 'Would I like to seem treated how I was when I was 16 or 17? No,' Wellens admits. 'But it put me in a position where I could play for 20-odd years and now I can be a manager and no matter what anybody throws at me it doesn't affect me because I'm quite strong-minded and resilient. Maybe I built that up over a period of time.' When he took his first job in management - at Oldham in 2017 - Wellens was afraid to call Ferguson up for advice. But when he guided Salford City to the EFL Trophy in 2021, a congratulatory text arrived. Is he hoping for another one on Sunday afternoon? "It'd be nice," he says. "He's the best Britain has ever produced." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
