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BBC News
6 minutes ago
- BBC News
Rangers knock out Panathinaikos - what did the pundits say?
Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday on BBC SportsoundRangers are a work in progress and will definitely improve on what they've shown over the two are a lot of things for them to work on and new faces will help as striker Kris Boyd on Sky SportsSome exciting players have arrived at Rangers - but Russell Martin is not silly, he will know that there is a lot of work to be another tie out of the way, but they will have to tighten up defensively. Yes, Panathinaikos harassed Rangers and forced them into mistakes - but they were asking question after question of Rangers goalkeeper Cammy Bell on BBC SportsoundThat's the big thing with Russell Martin - he thrives on the training longer he has with his players, the better they will get. This Rangers team showed a bit of character today. It's all positive at the moment, they just need to keep this momentum striker Peter Lovenkrands on BBC SportsoundIf you keep playing that way with those type of players you are going to get caught out. They have not been good enough over the last two legs. Rangers don't really have time. The style of play right now seems like it's not really working. That needs to be tidied up before the next round."Former Rangers midfielder Derek Ferguson on BBC SportsoundYes, they were lucky at times, but I liked the mentality of the players. Can it be better? Of course it can.I was a little worried before the game and we really saw the seasons why, because Rangers were cut open so many times. They need a few more in the building if they are going to progress further.
The Sun
6 minutes ago
- The Sun
ITV confirm first free-to-air matches of new season including Wrexham opener and three huge derbies
ITV has confirmed the first of its free-to-air English Football League and League Cup matches this season. As part of a partnership with Sky Sports for the 2025/26 season, the broadcaster will show a total of 20 football matches across the campaign. 4 4 4 This selection is made up of 10 EFL ties and 10 Cup ties. And the first six games to be aired under the partnership have been revealed in a statement this morning. ITV will kick off their coverage by showing the Round One League Cup clash between Birmingham and Sheffield United on August 13, with kick-off at 8pm. This will be followed three days later by Wrexham's first Championship game at the Racecourse Ground against West Brom. The Saturday, 13 August game will kick off at 12:30pm. Three major derbies will follow in each month leading up to December, all currently pencilled in for midday kick-offs. The first will see Southampton taking on Portsmouth on September 14. The second will see Ipswich host Norwich on October 5. And the third will see Sheffield Wednesday clash with Sheffield United on November 23. The final confirmed game so far in ITV's selection pool will see Derby face Leicester - relegated from the Premier League last season - on December 6. Neil Warnock hints at shock return to management with 'unbelievable' crisis club This broadcasting deal will run until the end of 2026/27 season, while ITV will still show extended highlights on ITV4 and ITVX. While the Premier League season does not start until August 15, the rest of the English pyramid will already be in full swing by then. The Championship season gets underway a week before, on August 8, with Birmingham taking on relegated Ipswich on Friday evening. However, League One and League Two begin as early as this weekend. The third tier kicks off the entire season of professional football in England tomorrow with Luton taking on Wimbledon. Meanwhile, tier four will see all of its games played out at 3pm on Saturday, August 2. 4
Telegraph
36 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Tom Brady questioned Wayne Rooney's work ethic at Birmingham, new documentary reveals
Tom Brady questioned the commitment of Wayne Rooney during his spell as manager of Birmingham City, a new documentary has revealed. NFL legend Brady is a minority owner of the club, who appointed Rooney in October 2023, sacking him four months later after just two wins in 15 matches. In the Prime Video series Built in Birmingham: Brady and the Blues, Brady is heard saying, 'I'm a little worried about our head coach's work ethic,' although does admit, 'I don't have great instincts on that.' The comments follow a trip to the training ground early in Rooney's reign. That season ended with relegation to League One, and Brady also criticised the attitude of Birmingham's players. 'They were lazy, they were entitled and when you're lazy and entitled, you don't have much of a chance to succeed,' said the former New England Patriots quarterback. At the time of his sacking, Rooney said he felt the club had acted too hastily. 'Time is the most precious commodity a manager requires, and I do not believe 13 weeks was sufficient to oversee the changes that were needed.' He has since managed at Plymouth Argyle, who he left after 25 games last season with the club bottom of the Championship. Birmingham made an immediate return to the Championship in 2024/25, winning League One with a record high points total under the management of Chris Davies. Review: Why Americans just cannot understand Wayne Rooney Tom Brady, GOATed quarterback of the New England Patriots, is in Birmingham. He is on the advisory board of Knighthead Capital, the American company which owns Birmingham City. Inevitably, there is now a documentary about this. In episode one of Built in Birmingham: Brady & The Blues, the club has just sacked John Eustace, the over-performing manager who had them sixth in the Championship. We hear Brady saying, 'I know what a good coach looks like.' Then, with faultless comic timing, Wayne Rooney arrives. The American sporting mind cannot compute Wayne Rooney, a brilliant and high-achieving athlete who nevertheless did not maximise his talent. In the American conception, reaching Rooney's level requires eternal sacrifice and limitless dedication. Perhaps he was appointed by Birmingham with this expectation? Alas when he and Brady meet in the presence of the documentary cameras, the cultural distance is clear. Brady: 'I treated practice...' Rooney: 'Yeah' Brady: 'Like it was the Super Bowl. Every practice we'd do a two minute drill, at the end of the game. I would throw a touchdown, at practice, and stand there being like 'f---, we won the game!' Rooney: 'Yeah' Brady: '...even though it was practice. You know, and then my team mates were like 'f---, that's how we're going to do it'… This is real… Make them earn everything.' Rooney, after a pause: 'But no, they're a good group of lads to be fair.' Shortly afterwards, we hear Brady confess, 'I'm a little worried about our head coach's work ethic.' The most refreshing thing about this five-episode series is how unvarnished it leaves Brady, with no attempt to present him as cuddly. He is refreshingly psychopathic at times, as every top-level sportsperson must be, the sort of control freak who has his own phone's satnav open as he is being chauffeured. There is a certain level of interest in seeing how he moves through the world, private jets, water bottle the size of the Saturn V rocket which took men to the moon and the best hotel rooms money can buy. In Birmingham. Bullring view or industrial wasteland, sir? He occasionally speaks like a teenager misbehaving in a Call of Duty chat lobby. 'Is Aston Villa in the Prem-eer League?' he asks in the opening minutes. 'F--- them.' After Birmingham lose the Vertu (formerly LDV Vans) trophy to Peterborough a cheeky Posh fan posts on City's Instagram, 'put that in your documentary.' This is relayed to Brady, dressed for the executive box like Patrick Bateman, who says 'B-----s, enjoy this s----y League One for the rest of your f---ing life, you little b---ch. Suck on that.' In the previous episode, we see Brady chucking a ball about with his kids on a Caribbean beach while the team travels to Crawley. After another flawless completion to Brady Jnr, Brady Snr says, 'Four from four, my quarterback rating is really high right now.' He seems to be joking, much like Michael Owen was, probably, when he humiliated that poor ginger-haired goalkeeper. There is humour, especially when Brady bodies a larger member of staff with the greeting 'You're looking fit, did you lose some weight?' and vulnerability too. Preparing for the mandated new owner trip to a fans' pub, Brady says, 'this is not my thing,' and wants to know if he will have to talk to kids or shake any hands. Tom 'Wags' Wagner, Birmingham chairman, is good value too, despite his unfortunate habit of referring to the team as 'the product.' He says things like 'The Birmingham City opportunity presented itself,' not realising that 'The Birmingham City Opportunity' sounds like a gutsy minor league baseball team. This language at least makes it clear what is going on: Birmingham are a money-making endeavour for their custodians. A confected rivalry with Wrexham, on a similarly lavish trajectory, is stoked by Brady's trash-talk while Wagner watches and swears amongst fans on the terrace. It serves both reality shows, and therefore both clubs, to wring as much from this narrative as possible. Birmingham lose and a cameraman is told to 'f--- off' by one of their players afterwards but this is the deal City and its employees have made with the devil. It is all fun and games to sit in a well-lit warehouse opining into a camera about standards and journeys. It is less enjoyable when that camera is waiting for you in the dressing room following defeat. Momentum erodes in the final episode which attempts to find tension in whether injured Jay Stansfield (a £15m signing from Fulham) can be temporarily replaced by Alfie May (27 goals for Charlton in previous season). After the Wembley let-down the only remaining intrigue is whether Birmingham can reach a record points total. They do, finishing on 111. Jolly good. This is still a more entertaining documentary than its many competitors. Match footage is zippy and un-showy, although a tinnitus beep that soundtracks conceded goals becomes tedious. The Zulu Warriors hooligan firm's shaky claim as anti-racism pioneers is scrutinised with credible nuance. But mostly, it is fascinating to glimpse the parts of Brady that made him so successful. Ultimately, the requirement for this documentary is to increase sponsorship revenue. That only happens if it is compelling, a soft-soap clone of similar series would not wash. Authenticity is essential, and Built in Birmingham is so skilfully made you frequently believe that is what you are seeing.
