Gossip: Owls eyeing move for Vancouver's Armstrong
Sheffield Wednesday are plotting a move to sign midfielder Stuart Armstrong from MLS outfit Vancouver Whitecaps. (Yorkshire Post), externalOut-of-favour Nottingham Forest forward Emmanuel Dennis is more likely to join Watford on loan than Sheffield Wednesday amid interest from both Championship clubs. (The Star), externalWant more transfer news and rumours from the EFL? Read Monday's gossip column here.
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Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Craig Bellamy issues new Wales demand as Belgium accused of 'lack of respect'
Wales fought back from three goals down to level the scores in their World Cup qualifier in Belgium. only for Kevin De Bruyne, the former Manchester City star, to score a winner in a seven-goal thriller Craig Bellamy patted his brave Wales players on the back and gave them a boot up the backside at the same time after a night of high drama in Brussels. And Sorba Thomas slammed Belgium over a "lack of respect" after the Welsh fought from three goals down, only to let Kevin De Bruyne blast home the winner in a seven-goal thriller. The Welsh looked dead and buried after half and hour, trailing 3-0 to an inspired Belgium. But a Harry Wilson penalty on the stroke of half-time was the springboard for an incredible comeback that saw them draw level at 3-3 before De Bruyne broke their hearts in the closing minutes. Bellamy hailed his side for their spirited response but reproached them for a half-hour horror show. 'I have to be honest, since September I've really felt proud to be their coach,' he said. 'But we didn't cope with the momentum in the first half when their pen went against us. We suffered for a period but then we got a penalty and that gave us belief. 'Second half we showed what we can do. The players have to understand how good they are. To come to a top-eight team and to play that way will give us so much. But I don't like the defeat and I don't feel 'oh unlucky Wales.' We need to win these games.' Thomas, who recently sealed a move to Championship side Stoke City after leaving League One Huddersfield, accused the Belgians and insisted Wales "won in our own heads" despite the late heartbreak. "I don't think they showed us the respect we deserved,' said Thomas. 'I think they thought the game was done, but we showed our Welsh fire. We run through brick walls for each other. Even though we lost, I feel like we won in our own heads. Bellamy had not suffered defeat since being appointed Wales head coach last July, going nine games unbeaten. So to be 3-0 down within 30 minutes must have come as one hell of a shock. De Bruyne earned Belgium a penalty early on when his shot hit Brennan Johnson's arm. It looked a very harsh call by the referee but VAR had a long look and agreed with the decision. Ex-Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku, who won Serie A with Napoli this term, made no mistake from the spot. The lead was doubled less than five minutes later when Belgium captain Youri Tielemans was teed up by Leandro Trossard and fired into the top corner. It went from bad to worse for Wales when Manchester City 's Jeremy Doku, in electric form all night, made it 3-0, though Wales keeper Karl Darlow perhaps should have done better with his left-footed shot. The Dragons looked outfought, outclassed, and out of ideas. But they gave themselves a glimmer of hope in stoppage time. Thomas's corner was aimed towards Chris Mepham, who was clattered by Belgium keeper Matz Sels. Wales were awarded a penalty which Wilson slotted home with his left foot. That glimmer turned into a real opportunity six minutes after the break when Sorba Thomas coolly finished for his first goal for his country. All of a sudden the comeback was most definitely on. And Thomas turned provider for a dramatic equaliser, his header being nodded home by Johnson as Belgium fans looked on in disbelief. As Wales pressed hard for a winner, Belgium broke quickly and Lukaku thought he'd won it but, after another lengthy VAR check, it was deemed the ball had earlier gone out of play right under the nose of a hugely animated Bellamy. De Bruyne did win it late on, though, expertly volleying home at the back post from a Tielemans cross, with the Wales players on their knees. Wales captain Ben Davies said the De Bruyne winner was a real sickener. 'Getting back as close as we did is probably why the result is as painful as it is,' he said. 'We knew we could do a lot better. You could see in the second half, we managed to nick a goal before half-time and it gave us something to hang on to and we pushed them close. 'We have plenty more games we just have to focus on ourselves and hopefully results go our way.'
ITV News
6 hours ago
- ITV News
Wigan Warriors legend Billy Boston to be first rugby league player knighted
For the first time in rugby league's 130 year history one of its greatest players will be knighted. Wigan Warriors legend Billy Boston will become the first person from his sport to be presented with a knighthood at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The 90-year-old, who was born in Wales, played on the wing at Wigan for 15 years after making the switch from rugby union to rugby league in 1953. He went on to score a record 478 tries in 487 games for the club winning the Challenge Cup three times as well as the Championship. Boston also had an impressive record for Great Britain scoring 24 tries in 31 test matches and in 1954 became the first non-white player selected to tour Australia and New Zealand. In 2000, he was given the freedom of Wigan and has three statues, in Wigan, Wales and at Wembley Stadium. Boston was awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth and now after a campaign led by his local Makerfield MP Josh Simons, he will be made a knight of the realm by King Charles. Wigan Warriors owner Mike Danson told the club's website: 'One of the biggest thrills in my ownership of Wigan Rugby League Club has been enjoying the company of Billy Boston. Without doubt Billy was a player who was – and still is – the biggest crowd favourite in Rugby League. 'He is my mum Jean's favourite player – they are of the same age! She remains in awe of the great man and his Rugby League legacy. 'I am therefore thrilled that at long last, Billy will be appointed as Rugby League's first Knight! A richly deserved honour which means this most humble of men, rightly receives at last, fitting recognition for his extraordinary efforts. Many congratulations to Billy, his wife Joan and the family on this magnificent achievement.'
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Jobe and Jude Bellingham can be just third brothers to join exclusive club as he follows brother's footsteps to Dortmund
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FOR a kid so determined to escape his brother's shadow that he refuses to wear his surname on his shirt, it seems a strange career move. But Jobe Bellingham's transfer to Borussia Dortmund — the club where brother Jude emerged as a world-class talent — is intriguing. 6 Jobe Bellingham is on the verge of signing for Borussia Dortmund Credit: Getty 6 The midfielder is following in the footsteps of brother Jude Credit: INSTAGRAM @judebellingham 6 Jude Bellingham played for Dortmund between 2020 and 2023 Credit: Getty 6 The pair could become the third set of brothers to play for England Credit: INSTAGRAM @judebellingham Dortmund have clearly seen enough in the younger Bellingham to shell out the second-highest transfer fee in the club's history. This is no ordinary Jobe. A fee of up to £33million is a serious investment for a 19-year-old who has never played top-flight football. And given that Dortmund are certainly no mugs when it comes to player recruitment, we can be assured that there is no sentimentality attached to it. This thing has not been designed to be season two of a reality show called 'The Bellinghams'. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL RED ALERT Man Utd release 10 players including Eriksen and Evans as summer overhaul begins The younger Bellingham — who has worn 'Jobe' on his back ever since joining Sunderland from Birmingham two years ago — is a serious prospect who played a major role in securing the Black Cats' return to the Premier League following an eight-year absence. And after sealing his move to the Westfalenstadion, he is heading straight to the Club World Cup in the United States, where he might end up playing against Jude and Real Madrid. It is natural that Jobe should wish to forge his own path. After all, who wants to go through life being known as their big brother's little brother? But with the Bellinghams, there are far too many similarities to make that prospect a realistic one. BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS Jude was the youngest debutant in Birmingham's history, aged 16. Jobe became the second-youngest, just a couple of months older than his brother had been. Jude was the Championship's Young Player of the Year in 2020. Five years on, Jobe has won the same accolade. Jobe Bellingham takes swipe at Sky Sports pundits in live TV interview before awkward moment with panel at Wembley And now both have moved to Borussia Dortmund as teenagers. There are differences, too. While Jude started off as a more defensive midfielder and has advanced to play as No 10 or a 'false nine', Jobe began as an attacking midfield player and has settled back into a box-to-box role. It is therefore possible, perhaps even as soon as next year's World Cup, to envisage the two Bellinghams playing together for England. Since the start of the 20th Century, only two pairs of brothers have represented England at senior level. Those are Bobby and Jack Charlton, who won the World Cup together in 1966; and Gary and Phil Neville, wonderfully referred to in Jaap Stam's autobiography as "busy c***s . . . who never stop whingeing". So this would be quite some company for the Bellingham family to share. Not that the duo's father, Mark, needs any convincing that his family are something special. Having one Bellingham in the England squad has its problems. Having two might be a real struggle. There are already special measures in place for Jude, the finest English talent of his generation, when it comes to his lack of media interviews on England duty. More significantly, there are times when he can be a law unto himself around the squad. This is not ideal for Thomas Tuchel and might affect Jobe's prospects of promotion from the Under-21s. Still, should he hit the ground running at the Club World Cup and then flourish in the Bundesliga, Jobe will thrust himself into serious England contention. Tuchel is not well blessed with central midfielders, to such an extent that 34-year-old Jordan Henderson — a close confidant of Jude — is back in a starting berth. Dortmund has become a finishing school for young English talent, from Jadon Sancho to Jude Bellingham to Chelsea target Jamie Gittens and now to Jobe. And while Sancho's career prospects continue to nosedive after a poor loan spell at Chelsea, it is worth remembering the trailblazing nature of his move to Dortmund as a 17-year-old in 2017. And that Sancho returned there for a decent loan move last season and started in the Champions League final at Wembley. It was Sancho, and his representatives, who spotted a career path largely untrodden by English kids — the idea that, with Premier League clubs stockpiling global talent, their best chance of breaking into regular top-flight football was to move abroad. What seemed revolutionary then is becoming increasingly common. For Sancho, and then for Jude Bellingham, becoming a star player at one of European football's greatest stadiums in the Bundesliga was far preferable to struggling for game time at a Premier League club. So it should be little surprise that Jobe has followed suit. His family name will be a help, rather than a hindrance, when it comes to winning over those fanatical supporters who make up Dortmund's Yellow Wall. Whether he decides to wear that name on his back is a different matter. Burn's fright HOW will we know if England can defend before next year's World Cup? Thomas Tuchel's men haven't had to do much defending during his first three matches. And they are not scheduled to face any elite opposition before the tournament in America — the clash with Senegal and a Wembley date with Wales are the only friendlies currently slated. With Gareth Southgate's defensive stalwarts either going or gone, most of what's left doesn't look world class. Watching Dan Burn struggling against Andorra, then witnessing Portugal, Spain and France's attacking quality in the Nations League, made Tuchel's aim of 'putting another star' on England's shirt — by winning the World Cup — sound distinctly silly. 6 Thomas Tuchel's England have not been tested defensively Credit: Reuters It's Mad world THIS column's new favourite referee has to be Bobby Madley, after the EFL official broke ranks and admitted he 'hates' VAR for taking the emotion out of football. Madley was axed as a top-flight ref for online silliness in 2018 and so maybe has less of a vested interest than other refs when he speaks about using tech in decision-making. Many other refs agree with Madley, yet they are duty-bound to pretend VAR is a force for good — as it is also a 'jobs for the boys' scheme, allowing more refs to earn more money from the game. Big miss BIG ANGE POSTECOGLOU may have been the last of the 'Big' men to manage in the English game. And at least the big Aussie, like Big Sam Allardyce and Big Jack Charlton before him, was actually big. I've met Big Ron Atkinson and Alex 'Big Eck' McLeish and they are not really very big at all. And as for former Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe 'Big Phil' Scolari, he was barely even medium-sized. Being Frank Given that the job spec for the Spurs hotseat must now say 'do not prioritise cup competitions', it's no shock Thomas Frank is set to succeed Europa League winner Ange Postecoglou. Since reaching the top flight in 2021, Frank's Brentford have won just one FA Cup tie. 6 Thomas Frank boasts a poor FA Cup record Credit: PA Charity case THERE will be another celebrity 'Soccer Aid' football match on TV next weekend — and you won't find many better causes than Unicef. But these games are so awful to watch that many of us would rather make big donations in order to guarantee they don't show it on TV.
