Loughgall and Smith 'reach amicable agreement'
Loughgall say they have reached "an amicable agreement" with former manager Dean Smith following his recent departure from the club.An initial statement posted on X by the Irish Premiership club on 6 March indicated that they had "parted company" with their long-serving boss "by mutual consent".However this was contested as a statement from the JWB Consultancy said: "We represent Mr Dean Smith. Our client has not agreed to terminate his contract."Loughgall's statement released on Wednesday night revealed that the parties had resolved their differences and were parting on good terms."Loughgall Football Club and Dean Smith have reached an amicable agreement, inclusive of a confidential financial settlement, representing a full and final resolution of all matters," the statement read."It is acknowledged that the statement on Thursday 6th March issued on social media by Loughgall FC was the result of internal miscommunication. This statement has now been removed."Loughgall FC and Dean Smith have had a successful and lengthy period working together, and now part on mutually agreeable and good terms, with both parties keen to draw a line under recent events."To that end, there will be no further comment from either party in respect of the matter which both Loughgall FC and Dean Smith consider satisfactorily closed."Smith led Loughgall to promotion to the top flight in the 2022-23 campaign and they finished ninth in the Premiership with 13 wins last season.This term the Villagers have struggled however and sit 12 points adrift at the foot of the table and without a league win since November.
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BBC News
2 days ago
- BBC News
Glentoran's time will come with fine tuning
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Belfast Telegraph
3 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Famous fan who died at 101 taken on emotional last lap of beloved Irish League ground
The funeral of 101-year-old Hilbert Willis, who passed away on Sunday, took place today. The cortege left his late home, via the football club for a final lap of Lakeview Park, before moving on to St Aidan's Parish Church, Grange for the funeral service. Mr Willis had been a lifelong supporter at Loughgall FC, serving various roles. The club paid tribute, saying: 'No words are enough to describe this man who gave a life-long service to Loughgall Football Club and was known right across the Northern Ireland Football League 'Hilbert served the club in countless roles including chairman, vice-chairman, director, groundsman and indeed also a lifelong supporter, where until recently where his health deteriorated he would barely ever have missed a Loughgall game 'Hilbert has done and seen it all at Loughgall, we are in awe of the great man he was and will always have found memories of his stories.' Mr Willis lived all of his life in Loughgall bar nine months in Holywood after his parents moved there when he was a young man. In a previous interview with the Belfast Telegraph, he recalled becoming involved in football in the village 'from I was knee high…' before going on to become an important figure in the history of Loughgall, who were formed in 1967. In 2021 and aged 97, he completed a near year-long challenge of walking 100 times around Lakeview Park. Inspired by the fundraising efforts of Captain Sir Tom Moore in England, who raised £39m for NHS charities walking 100 lengths of his garden, Mr Willis did his laps of honour in aid of Loughgall FC who were suffering financially during Covid-19. He saw the club promoted to the Premiership in 2023. After defying the odds to comfortably stay up in their first season back in the top flight, the Villagers were relegated in May.
Telegraph
05-06-2025
- Telegraph
Jack Grealish's next move is a no-brainer
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Family members, who had always been welcomed and encouraged back by the club, were put off revisiting Villa Park for the remainder of the season. Bridges were undoubtedly burned that day in December, but football is a fickle business and Grealish need only look at another of Villa's former stars, a player he would have watched as a supporter of the club. Ashley Young was mercilessly heckled every time he returned to Villa Park as a Manchester United player and yet was treated as a returning hero when he re-signed for the club in the same summer Grealish left for City. It is hard to imagine anything other than Grealish being greeted with open arms by the Holte End were he ever to wear the claret and blue again. Shirt sales bearing his name would almost certainly rocket, with his trademark haircut spawning a new wave of copycat styles among young fans and some older supporters who should really know better. Jack Grealish produced this moment of magic at Old Trafford, #OnThisDay in 2019. 🪄 — Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 1, 2023 Grealish remains close to and still calls his old Villa manager Smith 'gaffer' – and his advice would no doubt be to go back to the place where he became a star. Some of his old friends and team-mates, John McGinn, Ross Barkley and Tyrone Mings, are still at the club. But aside from the romance and the relationship counselling that may need to take place, there is also the financial reality of a move for Grealish. Failure to qualify for the Champions League has left Villa, in their own words, facing a difficult summer and making the numbers add up would not be easy. Given he left for a then British record fee of £100 million to earn in the region of £300,000 a week at City, Grealish will not come cheap – even on loan. Villa need to find money to satisfy Premier League profit and sustainability rules, while their wage bill is dangerously high given Uefa's squad cost ratio restrictions which the club are expected to comply with to compete in the Europa League. It is anticipated that there will be plenty of interest in Grealish from the Premier League and overseas, but a move is not expected to be arranged or finalised quickly given the costs involved and his reputation. One sporting director contacted by Telegraph Sport this week indicated their club might be interested in Grealish, but added: 'He has to get his lifestyle in order.' That may or may not be a fair or accurate opinion, but it is undoubtedly a barrier that the player and his representatives must overcome. England manager Thomas Tuchel has hinted at a similar concern, but admitted he 'loves' Grealish and there will be coaches who will want their sporting directors and owners to look past some of the pre-conceived ideas about the 29-year-old. It is unknown whether a move abroad would suit Grealish, but he cannot have failed to have noticed how Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour have succeeded at Napoli and won a Serie A title along the way. AC Milan has been a popular Italian retreat for English players wanting a fresh start, while moves to Spain have been successful for Kieran Trippier and Conor Gallagher. Staff at City talk with genuine warmth and affection about a player who goes out of his way to make people feel good and give something back to disadvantaged young fans. Grealish's team-mates tell the story of a player who was giving his all in the final weeks and months of the season to try to force his way into Pep Guardiola's side without much success. He was hurt by not playing any part in the FA Cup final defeat by Crystal Palace after playing in each previous round and starring in the semi-final victory over Nottingham Forest at Wembley. That is most likely when the penny dropped for Grealish that a City exit – permanently or on loan – is his only option this summer if he wants to play regularly again and the club's decision not to take him to the Club World Cup appears best for all parties. He cannot afford any off-the-field slip-ups this summer, which he now has free to best prepare for the next chapter of his career. Whether that's back at Villa or elsewhere, it would be premature to write Grealish off just yet.
