Friday briefing: Wayne Rooney hits back at ‘very unfair' Tom Brady
Wayne Rooney claims Birmingham minority owner Tom Brady's criticism of him during his spell as the club's manager was 'very unfair'.
Rooney, sacked by Birmingham in January 2024 after less than three months in charge, said he was 'really disappointed with the comment' on his new podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show, which launches on Friday.
NFL great Brady, who became a minority shareholder at Birmingham in August 2023, said he was 'a little worried about our head coach's work ethic' during a documentary after visiting Blues' training ground the following November.
Speaking via his new show on the BBC, the ex-Everton and Manchester United striker said: 'I think Tom came in once, which was the day before a game where the days are a little bit lighter anyway, and I don't think he really understood football that well.
'But what he does understand is – he's a hard worker – we know that.'
Rooney added: 'Football is not NFL – NFL works for three months a year. Players do need rest as well, so I think he's very unfair, the way he's come out and portrayed that.'
Newcastle have agreed a fee for Aston Villa winger Jacob Ramsey.The 24-year-old is due to travel to the north east for a medical after a deal in the region of £40million was agreed, the PA news agency understands.
The prospective sale of Ramsey, who has made 167 appearances at Villa Park, will represent pure profit for Villa, who are walking a UEFA financial fair play and PSR tightrope and need to sell.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest have agreed a £30million fee for Manchester City's James McAtee and a club-record £37m deal for Ipswich forward Omari Hutchinson.
We are disgusted at the racial abuse that Mathys Tel has received on social media following last night's UEFA Super Cup defeat.
Mathys showed bravery and courage to step forward and take a penalty, yet those who abuse him are nothing but cowards – hiding behind anonymous… pic.twitter.com/rOF1WYeos4
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 14, 2025
Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out says players may think twice about taking penalties in future after Tottenham's Mathys Tel received online racist abuse.
France Under-21 international Tel is the latest player to be targeted on social media after he missed a spot kick in Wednesday night's UEFA Super League penalty shoot-out defeat to Paris St Germain.
A Kick It Out statement read: 'If you're a black player, it would be totally understandable to think, 'Why would I want to take a penalty?' That's the state of the game right now, and the sad fact is, it's nothing new.
'Players are routinely targeted with racism online and want action; we want action, too. Accountability from offenders and social media companies is a baseline, but it's not being met.'
The 25/26 Premier league season awaits ⌛️ pic.twitter.com/DR0VHIs8uw
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 14, 2025
The Premier League returns with champions Liverpool kicking off the new campaign against Bournemouth.
It is sure to be an emotional night at Anfield as the club pay tribute to Diogo Jota following the forward's tragic death in the summer.
A host of managers will face the media, with Pep Guardiola, Ruben Amorim, Thomas Frank and Enzo Maresca among those speaking.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd howler gifts Arsenal three points in Premier League opener
MANCHESTER UNITED 0-1 ARSENAL: Riccardo Calafiori's early goal after a huge mistake from Altay Bayindir was enough to separate the two Premier League giants in their season curtain-raiser A howler from Altay Bayindir condemned Manchester United to an opening-day defeat and gifted Arsenal three points in their fresh pursuit of the Premier League title. Mikel Arteta's side went at their best but did enough to quell the Red Devils, who had an afternoon of deja vu - conceding from a set piece and failing to score. Arsenal took just 13 minutes to break the deadlock, profiting from Bayindir's error. United's backup goalkeeper, given the nod over the fit-again Andre Onana, flapped at a corner and allowed Riccardo Calafiori an simple finish after evading the Red Devils' defence. An end-to-end first half saw no more goals, with the visitors in front. United pushed for an equaliser, as Ruben Amorim introduced Benjmain Sesko in search of a goal. But Arsenal held firm to keep pace with Liverpool and Manchester City at this early stage. For the Red Devils, it's a reminder of how big of a task Amorim has on his plate. Here are five talking points from Old Trafford. 1. Bayindir bullied Barring the two debutants for each side, the big talking point when team news was confirmed was the absence of Andre Onana from United's squad. The Cameroonian goalkeeper missed the entirety of pre-season with a hamstring injury but despite being full recovered, Altay Bayindir got the nod. Ruben Amorim would surely regret his decision when in the 13th minute, Bayindir failed his first test. Declan Rice patiently waited to swing in a corner, increasing the tension among the hosts' defence. His delivery was right on top of Bayindir and with minimal contact from William Saliba, the Turkey international was shoved out the way and could only get half a punch on the ball. Riccardo Calafiori was lurking at the back post for the simplest finish of his career, as Bayindir's appeals for a foul fell on deaf ears. 2. Raya's world-class save It was a tale of two goalkeepers in the first half. Although Arsenal boasted the lead at the break, United had fired off double the amount of attempts on goal and hit post through Patrick Dorgu. The Red Devils were dangerous on the counter attack, with Bryan Mbeumo a constant threat in the channel between Gabriel Magalhaes and Calafiori. But it was Matheus Cunha who forced David Raya into a magnificent save which kept the Gunners ahead just before half-time. After battling with Rice on the left-hand side of the box, United's new No.10 did well to get a shot off which looked destined to find the net. In a brilliant reaction save, Raya got down to his left and flicked the ball away, leaving Cunha in disbelief. Arsenal's goalkeeper hadn't been perfect in the first half but did his job when it mattered - just like late on to push away Mbeumo's header. There was much to improve on for the Gunners in the second period but crucially, they had the advantage. 3. Gyokeres' not-so-dream debut Viktor Gyokeres was always going to be playing at Old Trafford on Sunday, there only question for most of the summer transfer window was on which side? Arsenal won the race for his signature in July and Mikel Arteta will hope that he's still finding his feet after a rusty Premier League debut. The Swedish striker's first start for Arsenal could be summed up by one moment during the first half. After putting Matthijs de Ligt on the floor with a nonchalant show of strength, Gyokeres immediately gave the ball away in United's box, wasting an attacking opportunity. On the hour mark, his day was done. Kai Havertz entered the fray alongside new signing Noni Madueke while Amorim handed out his own debut. Enter: Benjamin Sesko. 4. United's new front three on show After Sesko came on with 25 minutes remaining, we got to see United's new-look attack. Cunha, Mbeumo and the Slovenian striker make up their £207.5million summer outlay, showcasing where Amorim feels that the Red Devils need to improve most. Cunha and Mbeumo got the crowd off their feet with a number of dribbles and darting runs, although they couldn't deliver the crucial goal. Nor could Sesko, who was given scraps to feed off as United chased a winner, bringing on Harry Maguire to help in both boxes. Where will Manchester United finish this season? Give us your prediction in the comments section. 5. Arsenal start as they mean to go on A win and a clean sheet away from home? Sounds like the ideal start. It wasn't a vintage Arsenal performance but they got the job done. Say that in April and you'd hail it the mark of champions. There's a long way to go in this season but the Gunners got the job done, with typically steely defending and a superior goalkeeper getting them over the line.
BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
Wolves 0-4 Man City - the fans' verdict
We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Wolves and Manchester are some of your comments:Wolves fansPatrick: Would like to see more energy and combat. City were a class above but need to battle more. A couple of the right signings and we'll be Four chances, four goals. You cannot make the mistakes Wolves made against a City side who physically and technically are much stronger. I expected the defeat but 4-0 is not a fair reflection, and had we taken chances it would have been closer. Need three more signings as lacking depth. Not sure about Wolfe - looked out of his depth. I thought Jhon Arias was lively in the 20 minutes he played. No need to panic One game gone and I'm worried. Our gameplan is to defend deep and hit on the break. But once Manchester City got their first we fell to pieces. City were not at their best but they easily cut us apart when needed. We also lack quality up front. Marshall Munetsi would run through a brick wall for the team, but he's not a forward. Unless Arias or Lopez turn out to be gems quickly, then we will need proven quality in the door ASAP or we're We huffed and puffed but came up short - what you would expect from a newly promoted team. This is our eighth season since promotion, however. The squad has been fatally weakened by the owners, and we simply don't have the quality to compete. Fosun should hang its head in shame because already we are in a relegation battle. When you sell your key assets and don't replace them, that is simply inevitable. Endeavour is not Forget about the match, which was irrelevant. The main thing was for the club and fans to pay their respects and share their love for Diogo Jota and his family. Thanks to everyone who got involved in what was a magnificent tribute to a fantastic player and person. No-one could have done it better. A massive well done to the club, the fans and the city of Wolverhampton for showing Diogo's family what he means to us all. RIP, Diogo - once a Wolf always a Wolf!Man City fansRoy: Good all-round team performance with bags of effort. Add this to the class of Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, it could be something special for the City were in free-flow on Saturday. A game of open and committed football, with use of the ball key and players driving forward with it. The keep-ball has gone and now City play football. Wonderful to watch. Exciting and energetic. This can only get better and playing out from the back was more comfortable and confident. This team has found their City looking back to their best! A really great display with all the debutants contributing massively. Some early nerves as the back line adjusted, but once they clicked it was a very efficient machine. A great start!Gene: The standout performance of Reijnders, and the surprise starts for Stones and Bobb - at least for me - were worth the watch alone. I saw Reijnders play often over the past few years and knew his quality - a great signing. It will take some time for the team to gel, but a good start. Hopefully the defence can play more effectively this season and avoid too many injuries. Lewis played well - the right-back position needs sorting and I wonder whether he is the answer. A good performance against a mid-table team. We shall see what happens against stiffer A slow and shaky first 30 minutes. Looked a bit ring-rusty for a while. However, they clicked on 34 minutes and never really looked troubled by Wolves. Reijnders looks world class and, considering the players who were out, we look as if we can really challenge for titles again this season.
Scottish Sun
20 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Forgotten Scotland ace finally makes Premier League return after nearly TWO YEARS out
He could become a key player during World Cup qualifying BACK AT LAST Forgotten Scotland ace finally makes Premier League return after nearly TWO YEARS out Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IT has been one of the longest injury lay-offs ever endured by a current Scotland international. But 659 days since his last senior competitive outing, Aaron Hickey finally returned to Premier League action this afternoon for Brentford. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Aaron Hickey has finally returned to action after nearly two years ago Credit: PA 3 The former Hearts defender has endured a nightmare time of it with injuries Credit: PA Hickey was given just two minutes by new boss Keith Andrews as the Bees went down 3-1 away to Nottingham Forest in their season opener – and picked up a booking late in the contest. But it was still a massive moment for the full-back who has endured a nightmare time of it with injuries over the last few years. The former Hearts defender first sustained a serious hamstring problem in a 2-0 win over Chelsea back in October 2023 – almost two years ago now. That kept the one-time Bologna star out of the rest of that season – and also saw him miss out on a chance to play for Scotland at last summer's European Championships in Germany. Hickey was then due to return this time last year but suffered a setback that saw him require a second operation. The full-back finally returned to light training in the spring and played for the B team but wasn't included in the first-team matchday squad until May. He finally got back onto the pitch in the pre-season friendlies against QPR, Borussia Monchengladbach and Gil Vicente. And the 23-year-old took another massive step towards getting back to where he belongs with those precious minutes this afternoon as a replacement for Rico Henry at the City Ground. Brentford marked the milestone with a post on X: 'Aaron Hickey back on a Premier League pitch after 659 days out.' Hickey's comeback will also be music to the ears of Scotland boss Steve Clarke ahead of the forthcoming World Cup qualifying campaign that begins against Denmark next month. Bologna compare Aaron Hickey to the Loch Ness monster as Hearts kid completes Serie A move With Hickey and Nathan Patterson both out for long spells, Clarke has turned to Anthony Ralston and Max Johnston to fill the void at right-back. But Hickey's return will give the manager an extra option once the youngster is back up to full fitness. The Scotland national team account tweeted: 'Love to see it! Welcome back, Aaron.' 3 Steve Clarke will be delighted to see Hickey return to the fold Credit: Kenny Ramsay And Scotland fans were also delighted with the development. One wrote: 'Amazing to see. What an asset to the Scotland national team a fit and available Aaron Hickey will be.' Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
