logo
Pereira on Hwang, earning the right to play and Brighton

Pereira on Hwang, earning the right to play and Brighton

BBC News09-05-2025

Wolves boss Vitor Pereira has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brighton & Hove Albion (kick-off 15:00 BST).Here are the key lines from his news conference:Pereira said that he will face a "late decision" over the fitness of forwards Hwang Hee-chan and Jorgen Strand Larsen, but that the rest of the squad is available for selection.When asked about Hwang's lack of minutes: "We don't play with two strikers and [Jorgen Strand] Larsen is scoring [goals]. Until now I didn't have space for him and this is football."On ending the season on a high: "For us the next three games will be a challenge. [We need to] compete with three teams that are consistent at playing good football and we need to understand and realise what level we are at so in the future we can compete with them [higher up the table]."On giving youth team players minutes: "Football is not about gifts, it's about earning the right to play and I like to be honest with the players and with myself. I will select the players that are in [the right] conditions to compete and win the games and we will reward the players that deserve it."He added: "I will not use the last games just to put players on the pitch, you have to work to earn your position."On Brighton: "We are facing a team with quality all over the pitch and the players have been together for a long time under [lots of] good managers. We have to be organised."Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Tell us about your football match friends
Tell us about your football match friends

The Guardian

time32 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Tell us about your football match friends

We'd like to hear from people who have become football match friends. Watching the ups and downs of your team next to the same person at the ground can lead to strong bonds. Has the perfect stranger you meet only at the football become a close friend or an important person in your life just from your time in the stands? If so, we'd like to hear all about it. Tell us about an important friendship forged at the football ground in the form below. Please include as much detail as possible. Please note, the maximum file size is 5.7 MB. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. If you include other people's names please ask them first. If you're having trouble using the form, click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.

'Role model Tierney's return tremendous for youth players'
'Role model Tierney's return tremendous for youth players'

BBC News

time32 minutes ago

  • BBC News

'Role model Tierney's return tremendous for youth players'

Celtic B team coach Stephen McManus insists "role model" Kieran Tierney's return has "given everyone a real boost".The 28-year-old officially rejoined Celtic this week on a free transfer, six years after leaving for Arsenal in a £25million captain McManus said: "It's massive because young players want to feel as if they've got somebody that they can look up to. They've got that but they need to see that and they need to feel that for themselves."You've got it with Callum (McGregor), you've got it with James (Forrest), so now with KT coming back it gives us an extra top player."McManus also believes the learnings Tierney made at the Emirates will be of benefit "throughout the club"."The fact that he's coming back with his full career ahead of him after the experiences he's had down in England at a top club like Arsenal, is going to be invaluable, not just for himself, for the younger players but for everybody throughout the football club."Kieran's coming back at the age that he's at, his full career's ahead of him. For the national team, for us as a club, it's tremendous."It's given everybody a real boost and for the younger lads it's another role model that we've got to look up to."

Finn Russell and Bath face day of destiny in throwback Premiership final
Finn Russell and Bath face day of destiny in throwback Premiership final

The Independent

time33 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Finn Russell and Bath face day of destiny in throwback Premiership final

There is an old school feel to this weekend's Premiership final, a famous fixture of yesteryear stirring the nostalgic senses. Bucket hats once more decorate the domes of the nation's youth, wide-leg jeans have usurped their skinny-fit siblings and the established powers of the 1990s are back in fashion in English rugby, too. Between the inception of the Courage League in 1987 and the introduction of this showpiece affair in 2003, Bath and Leicester Tigers won 12 of the 15 top-flight titles on offer; six trophy tilts apiece in an extended duopoly over the game. While Tigers have roared repeatedly since, Bath have had to be patient. The last of that run of six titles in eight years is their most recent overall; 29 years coming and going with just three final defeats mustered, foggy memories of silverware long since losing their lustre. A restoration is overdue. There has been a sense of destiny surrounding this season at Bath. The intent was set by their star fly half in the immediacy of the final defeat to Northampton. 'We'll just have to do it next year, now,' Finn Russell remarked to head coach Johann van Graan on the Twickenham touchline in an aside caught by the TNT Sports microphones and made moments after Saints' victory had been secured. In truth, Bath had come closer than they should have done on the day both in the wider context of a campaign in which they had lagged behind their opponents and given Beno Obano 's early sending off. This year has been different. The head coach is highly process-driven, never getting too high or too low, but he and his squad have embraced their place as front-runners, making a statement on the opening night by powering past the defending champions and seldom looking back. Minor prizes have already arrived in cups domestic and continental but this is the trophy they truly desire. 'I think that motivation has been there for everyone," said Russell this week as he chases an elusive second title of his career. 'After getting to that final and losing it last year, it is always quite tough to come back in that next year. "But I think everyone came back in pre-season in good shape and kind of ripped in straight away. "At the start of the year, the goal was to win the Premiership. We have gotten ourselves in a good spot just now to hopefully go and do that. We have almost got back to where we wanted to be and hopefully can go one step further this year." Van Graan arrived with the club at rock bottom, relegation avoided in 2022 only due to a moratorium during the pandemic. The South African has been a transformative figure, immediately establishing himself through the force of a somewhat quiet, but authoritative, personality. He has been aided in his task by significant investment, of course: Thomas du Toit joins Russell as a high-ticket item but the period of turmoil in which Ted Hill, Alfie Barbeary and Ollie Lawrence were taken from Wasps and Worcester was highly significant. The capture of Guy Pepper, similarly, has proved shrewd. Alongside the unearthing of gems like Ciaran Donoghue and Will Butt, it has given the squad a depth that most of their rivals simply cannot match. While Bath will be fuelled by a sense that this is their time, Leicester have extra motivation of their own. Saturday afternoon will be a last outing in the green, red and white for Dan Cole and Ben Youngs, stalwarts and servants of the club for the best part of two decades. That both will retire as one-club men feels fitting; regular listeners will hope the pair's podcast enjoys the same sort of longevity. Where their opponents' build to this final has been meticulous, the Tigers have come together on the hoof. In retrospect, the hiring of Michael Cheika was not the right solution for a club in need of firm foundations but the Australian deserves immense credit for his architecture nonetheless. In his sole season, Cheika has brought back Leicester's snarl, no-nonsense on and off the pitch yet encouraging the more expressive members of the squad to strut their stuff. Julian Montoya, his old Argentina captain, has been key and will be much missed by the Premiership when he departs for Pau after this game. Completing the list of leavers of note is double World Cup-winner Handre Pollard, a figure fit for a day like this. A horror show from the tee in the semi-final is unlikely to be repeated with the pressure on; as one figure connected with Leicester remarked this week, the South African fly half may not be the ideal player to get you to a final but he will most certainly win you one. The ever-improving Emeka Ilione – a likely tourist to Argentina with England – could also have a key role to play in defusing Bath's own bench bomb squad. In the maelstrom and madness of any final, cool heads and calm decisions are required by both players and officials. Bath overcame the odds to stay in the fight after Obano's early dismissal last year yet a capacity crowd will fear something similar to dramatically change the contest. Van Graan's men would be a sixth different champion in as many years, underscoring the competitive balance that Premiership insiders have sought to underline as they prepare to unveil a fresh identity on their day in the rugby spotlight. A new era for the league approaches but this throwback final should provide plenty of old-school charm.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store