
Cleverley frustrated at search for new striker
Argyle's hunt is more acute with Bim Pepple a doubt for Saturday's opening game of the season against Barnsley with a hamstring issue.It leaves Owen Aseni as the only recognised striker as Argyle return to league One after two seasons in the Championship. "I'm sure that deal will happen. It's one that we wished happened six weeks ago, but these things happen," added Cleverley."You always ask the question 'why does it take till deadline day to get a deal done?' but you see why when there's a lot of cat and mouse in the negotiations."He added: "It's the marquee position in a team and it's the part of a season where football fans want to be excited by people coming through the door."I absolutely understand their anxieties, their frustrations and hopefully we can mask over those on Saturday with a really top quality performance and scoring lots of goals."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
This sport has a self-confessed safety problem - could flashing mouthguards be the answer?
Rugby chiefs have admitted to Sky News their sport is not "incredibly safe" due to the "high risk of injuries", while insisting players should be encouraged they are prioritising addressing concussion concerns. The candour on the dangers from head collisions comes ahead of the Women's Rugby World Cup starting in England next week. At that tournament, for the first time at a World Cup, smart mouthguards will flash red if they detect potential concussions that require further assessment by measuring the force and movement from a head impact. "We could stick our head in the sand and pretend something doesn't exist, but that's not going to help anybody," World Rugby science and medical manager Dr Lindsay Starling told Sky News. "It is a sport that has a high risk of injuries and that comes from the physical contact nature of the game, which is also what we all love about watching it. And so that can't be ignored. "We can't pretend that the sport is incredibly safe and there's no risk of injury. And so by creating more awareness when there has been a substantial head knock, that's important to educate people." There is an expectation one player per match could be removed due to potential head injury at the World Cup, which opens with England playing the US in Sunderland next Friday. Players would then leave the pitch for a head injury assessment. Footage is then analysed to see how steady players are after the impact. Then they would be asked a series of questions to test memory and concentration. Players are asked to remember words from a list read out and to repeat numbers in a different sequence. A critical time for rugby Rugby being so candid about the potential risks from head injuries comes as the sport is facing legal action from more than 700 mostly male former players who claim leaders were negligent in failing to take reasonable action to protect them from brain injuries. The case is progressing slowly with challenges, including around historic medical records. "Concussion is obviously incredibly serious," Dr Starling said at the England team HQ at Twickenham. "It's absolutely our number one priority in terms of understanding why they happen and doing what we can to reduce that. "The other side of that argument, though, is that we know this information. It would be more scary or more of a worry if we didn't know that." World Rugby believes female players are more susceptible to being concussed than their male counterparts but at "much lower magnitudes". They are still exploring why. It could be due to physical differences in neck strength and blood flow metabolic rates, or it could combine with female players accessing more technical training later on. Parental concern over women's game But how does the spectre of brain injuries chime with the mission of the World Cup to super-charge the women's game in England, by expanding the audience and encouraging youngsters to play? Especially with those flashing mouthguards warning of potential concussions. Dr Starling admits it creates a concern. But to parents doubting whether their children should take up rugby, there's an attempt to offer some reassurances from those overseeing safety, citing enhanced technology. "We've never been in a situation where we know more about what the risk is," World Rugby chief medical officer Dr Eanna Falvey told Sky News. "That will improve over time, so our job is to give parents the autonomy to make a decision that they can about their daughter's playing. Ferocity at the heart of rugby "If their daughter wants to play, we want to help them arrive at a decision that they're happy with the level of exposure the daughter has and what they can do about it. "There's a lot of health dangers from not being involved in sport. Physical inactivity is the biggest health concern in the Western world right now. "So being involved with team sport has huge benefits." And Prof Falvey emphasised the essence of rugby is, at times, the ferocity. "It's a contact sport," he said. "Nobody shies away from that fact. I think people who play the game play it because they want to play contact sports. Our job is to make that game as safe as we can."


The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Spain federation approves plan to move Villarreal v Barcelona La Liga match to Miami
Barcelona and Villarreal could be set to contest the first European league match held in the United States after the Spanish football federation (RFEF) approved a La Liga plan to hold one of the teams' games this season in Miami, Florida. La Liga proposed the measure to the RFEF on Monday. With the RFEF's approval, the matter now requires the approval of Fifa, Uefa, and the host federation and confederation (US Soccer and Concacaf, respectively). The match in question was due to be played at Villarreal's home ground, the Estadio de la Cerámica, on 21 December. The proposed moving of the fixture will bring it to Hard Rock Stadium, home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins are due to host the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium on 21 December, so it's likely that the date of the La Liga fixture will need to be moved. Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer after newsletter promotion The plan was made possible by the dismissal of the lawsuit brought by Relevent Sports, a US-based events promoter, against Fifa and the US Soccer Federation. Notably, Relevent was founded and is owned by Stephen Ross, a real estate developer and the owner of the Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium. Relevent had initially sued Fifa and US Soccer in 2019 after attempting to hold a La Liga match in Miami the previous year – a proposal that US Soccer refused to sanction on account of a Fifa statute barring domestic league games from taking place away from their home territory. Relevent sued, contending the policy violated the United States' Sherman Antitrust Act – an 1890 piece of legislation designed to combat monopolies. Fifa and Relevent eventually settled their case with the understanding that Fifa would revisit the statute. The sides settled the case without prejudice, allowing Relevent the option of reopening litigation. Relevent made its name by hosting a number of pre-season events in the US featuring big-name European clubs. This year the organization signed a six-season deal with Uefa to be its global marketing and sales partner for men's club competitions, giving it the ability to sell rights to the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.


The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Nat Fyfe: a bullocking beast who was simply unstoppable during his prime in the AFL
When Nat Fyfe arrived at Fremantle at the end of 2009 as a scrawny, gangly teenager, not even the sharpest pundits could have predicted he would become one of Western Australia's greatest footballers. The 33-year-old announced on Monday that he is retiring at the end of the Dockers' 2025 campaign after 16 seasons. He will hang up his boots as one of the most decorated players of the modern era, with two Brownlow medals, three All-Australian blazers, and twice voted the AFL Players' Association's most valuable player. But Fyfe was nearly famously ignored by the Dockers because, at the time, the club wanted a genuine midfielder, not some skinny, rangy kid who barely tipped the scales at 74kg. Raised in the small Western Australian wheatbelt town of Lake Grace, about 320 kilometres south-east of Perth, the Dockers also had concerns about some of his disciplinary issues while boarding at the prestigious Aquinas College. Phil Smart, who was the recruiting manager at the Dockers at the time, told Fairfax Media that Fremantle wasn't very keen on taking Fyfe. 'We had an issue in regards to some of the other members of the list management group, the club at the time were keen to take a bona fide midfielder and there was some pretty strong debate in regards to taking Nat at that pick,' he said. 'Without knowing all the ins and outs, one of my mates I grew up with was a boarding house master at Aquinas, and I think there were issues from time to time.' However, after a few former Dockers' coaching staff convinced Smart to check out the young whippet, Fremantle ended up selecting Fyfe with pick No 20 in the 2009 AFL draft. 'He was very competitive, he had clean hands, in other words, he didn't fumble, he was very clean off the ground and in the air, and he made very good decisions and had good vision and good awareness,' he said. Fyfe debuted in round one the following season, and it didn't take long before he stamped himself as one of the elite midfielders in the game. He was soon destined to become one of the most marketable players in the AFL, long before Eagles' young gun Harley Reid graced the front and back pages of the state's only daily newspaper. Sign up to From the Pocket: AFL Weekly Jonathan Horn brings expert analysis on the week's biggest AFL stories after newsletter promotion During his prime, Fyfe was simply unstoppable. He was a bullocking beast around the stoppages and paved the way for other power-laden midfielders, like Patrick Cripps and Marcus Bontempelli. Fyfe was so dominant during the 2015 season that betting agencies paid out on him winning the Brownlow medal after just nine games. He would snaffle another Charlie four years later, becoming just the 15th player in AFL history to win multiple Brownlow medals. The three-time club best-and-fairest winner said on Monday that it simply felt like the right time to retire. The last remaining member of Fremantle's 2013 grand final team still playing has been hampered by soft tissue injuries this year, managing only five matches to bring his career total to 245 games. 'I'm just immensely grateful for what my AFL experience and playing with Fremantle has given to me,' he said. 'It's been an enormous opportunity and has taken me to places I could never have dreamed of. 'I leave with a sense of understanding that I don't need anything further, which is a really peaceful place to be, and yet myself – and the team – still find ourselves in a position where that elusive premiership dream is well and truly alive.' Where Fyfe ranks among the pantheon of WA's footballing greats will be debated for years to come. But there is no doubt he belongs in the same West Australian royalty as Stephen Michael, Lance Franklin and Polly Farmer. Regardless of Fyfe's standings, no one would deny that he is among the modern greats of the sport. He is so highly regarded out west that even the premier, Roger Cook, took to social media, calling him a Western Australian sporting legend. 'One of the greatest Fremantle Dockers players of all time, Fyfe was lauded by his teammates, other players and fans and has brought much success to the state,' he said. 'He leaves behind an incredible legacy, on and off the footy field.' If there were any flaws in Fyfe's game, it was his set shot at goal. Most notably in the 2013 grand final, when he kicked two gettable goals out on the full in the first quarter. Fyfe might no longer be the physical beast he once was, but with Fremantle sitting fourth on the ladder, he could play a vital role in the Dockers' quest for their first AFL premiership. It's the only trophy missing from his glittering, stellar career.