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Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
WE'LL BE BACK: Jim Goodwin insists that Dundee United are desperate for another crack at Europe after penalty shootout heartbreak
Jim Goodwin insisted that devastated Dundee United are already desperate to get back to the European stage next season. The Tannadice boss men had their appetite whetted by two wonderful games against Rapid Vienna, even though the adventure ended in penalty shoot-out agony. United let a 2-0 lead on the night slip against the Austrians, then lost 5-4 on spot-kicks after a scoreless extra-time. But Goodwin - and an appreciative home crowd - only had praise for the efforts of his injury-hit group. 'Being involved in nights like this gives you a taste of these competitions,' he said. 'The players have loved it, although we are so disappointed to go out. 'We have to take inspiration from what we've done and want to work harder than ever to do it again next season. There's nowhere to hide for the unfortunate Ama Fatah after his spot-kick miss 'We can take a lot of confidence from going toe-to-toe with a very good European team, and we could've won it. We were 2-0 up at half time but we never thought the tie was over. 'I have to give my players huge credit because they never allowed their heads to drop at 2-2. When the draw was made, people expected Rapid Vienna to wipe the floor with us.' United head for Kilmarnock on Sunday in the Premier Sports Cup last 16. 'I don't think it will be difficult for us to lift our heads and get going again,' said Goodwin, who has brought Luca Stephenson back on loan again from Liverpool. 'But I do have concern about energy levels. This is my first time managing in Europe and I can appreciate how tough it is to balance everything.' United secured a 2-0 half-time advantage thanks to a header and penalty from striker Max Watters. Yet half-time alterations by Rapid turned the game in the visitors' favour. Janis Antiste's deflected header off Iurie Iovu dragged Rapid back into contention. And substitute Ercan Kara equalised to tee up extra-time. United sub Amar Fatah struck the post with the first penalty kick in the shootout and Rapid netted all five. Zac Sapsford, replaced at the break by Fatah, was added to Goodwin's growing casualty list. The Australian, a huge miss in the second period, watched the penalty dramas in crutches. Goodwin said: 'Zac took a knock on the ankle when winning the penalty. 'It was swollen up at half time. We will assess him and hopefully get him available for Sunday.' Rapid Vienna boss Peter Stoger said: 'This tie was so close. In the two games maybe we had the better chances, but United played two great games.
The Guardian
34 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Premier League 2025-26 preview No 19: West Ham United
Guardian writers' predicted position: 15th (NB: this is not necessarily Jacob Steinberg's prediction but the average of our writers' tips) Last season's position: 14th The danger for West Ham is that this is the season when their dysfunction catches up with them. They have regressed since winning the Uefa Conference League two years ago, too many misguided moves preventing them from kicking on, and rebuilding has not been simple. Funds are tight after a series of costly errors in the transfer market and Graham Potter is yet to demonstrate he is capable of silencing the familiar sound of grumbling at the London Stadium. Some fans fear a relegation battle beckons. West Ham underwhelmed last season, attempts to move on from David Moyes's pragmatism by replacing the Scot with Julen Lopetegui proving predictably short-lived. They finished 14th, their improvement marginal after Potter replaced Lopetegui in January, a subsequent run of five wins in 19 games telling its own story. The optimistic reading, though, is that this is the real start of the Potter era. The message was to judge him after a pre-season. Potter, who is expected to favour a 3-4-2-1 system, has worked on improving the team's mentality. He wants more leadership. It is not a surprise that Potter has brought in a sports psychologist. The mood has also been lifted by Lucas Paquetá, the influential Brazilian midfielder, being found innocent of breaking betting regulations. Paquetá has impressed during pre-season. Jarrod Bowen, the captain, continues to deliver in attack and has shown signs of a productive partnership with Niclas Füllkrug. There have been some encouraging additions, El Hadji Malick Diouf in particular catching the eye at left wing-back in pre-season. Potter and Kyle Macaulay, the head of recruitment, won a little battle when they convinced the board to buy the Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen. Callum Wilson, signed on a cheap short-term deal, offers experienced cover up front – if he can stay fit. More signings are required, though. Several veterans have departed, the sale of Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham leaves a creative deficit and Potter's hopes of making West Ham more proactive at home and better in possession will depend on whether the club can deliver a No 6 and a No 8. A lot remains up in the air. The picture will be clearer when the window shuts. Potter's reputation is yet to recover after his brutal, ill-fated stint at Chelsea. Feted as the brightest young English coach around when he was at Brighton, it took only seven traumatic months at Stamford Bridge to throw his promising career off course. Now the challenge is to prove the doubters wrong. West Ham were unsure about hiring Potter but may benefit from his calm, dignity and ability to improve players on the training ground. Patience could be key. Potter is not about instant success. He has tended to build slowly, so West Ham will need to trust him if they start slowly. Concerns over profitability and sustainability rules meant West Ham had to sell to buy at the start of the window. Supporters, though, do not want to hear the club pleading poverty. Many still begrudge the move to the unloved London Stadium which, despite having a capacity of 62,500, has hardly led to a change in West Ham's fortunes. David Sullivan, the largest shareholder, is heavily criticised. The 76-year-old is not popular but remains highly influential. Less is made of the part played by the Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, who bought his stake in 2021. The Gold family put a proportion of their stake up for sale almost two years ago. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion West Ham tracked Diouf for more than a year but decided against moving for him last summer. Tim Steidten, the then technical director, is understood to have felt the Senegal international was not good enough for the Premier League. It is just as well, then, that the overhyped Steidten left last February. West Ham looked at Diouf again – they needed a left-back after releasing Aaron Cresswell and putting Emerson Palmieri up for sale – and took the plunge. They paid £22m for the 20-year-old, who was excellent in Senegal's win over England in June, and are excited about his crossing ability. There were high hopes for George Earthy after a productive season on loan at Bristol City. However the attacking midfielder sustained an ankle ligament injury at the start of pre-season and is still on the mend. Earthy will hope to press his claim once he returns but in the meantime all eyes are on Freddie Potts, who has done well in pre-season. The 21-year-old, the son of the former West Ham defender Steve Potts, is a deep-lying midfielder and has looked comfortable on the ball in recent friendlies. Ollie Scarles, a 19-year-old left-back, will also hope for more minutes after being given opportunities last season. The departure of Kudus means there will be pressure on Crysencio Summerville to step up and nail down a starting spot when he returns from a hamstring injury. The 23-year-old joined from Leeds last summer but the winger is yet to produce his best form for West Ham. He was a bit-part player under Lopetegui, who was reluctant to use the Dutchman's speed and trickery, and has been out since tearing a hamstring during Potter's first game. Surgery eventually followed and has left Summerville, who is expected to return next month, desperate to show what he can do. 'When I'm back, it's going to be showtime,' he said last month.
BBC News
34 minutes ago
- BBC News
Red Roses partner with Barbie before World Cup
2025 Women's Rugby World CupVenue: England Date: 22 August - 27 September Coverage: Every match involving England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland live on BBC One or BBC Two, while every game will be live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, with coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live and Sports Extra England women's rugby union side will become the first UK sports team to partner with Barbie - but the deal has been launched without any of the brand's famous Dina Asher-Smith and boxer Nicola Adams have previously been immortalised in plastic, but the Red Roses' range is initially restricted to t-shirts, hoodies and replica balls."The collaboration aims to inspire the next generation of female rugby players through grassroots initiatives, funding, merchandise and powerful storytelling," said the Rugby Football maker Mattel, the company behind Barbie, will make a £20,000 donation to the RFU as part of the deal to increase girls' access to clubs and coaching in has recreated a host of sporting figures as Barbie dolls, including American Olympic champion gymnast Gabby Douglas, fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, snowboarder Chloe Kim and golfer Lorena 2012 Olympic champion Adams, world champion sprinter Asher-Smith and skateboarder Sky Brown are among the Britons who have also been partnership could yet expand, with England hot favourites for the Rugby World Cup on home soil. Their campaign begins on Friday, 22 August against the United States in has previously been criticised for promoting unrealistic body her 2000 book Body Wars, psychologist Margo Maine wrote that, external if Barbie were scaled up to adult height, she would have a figure within the guidelines for diagnosing brand introduced different body, hair and skin types to its range in 2016 and the 2023 movie Barbie, licensed by Mattel, confronted the gender norms and body image the doll had previously been associated her doll was released in 2020, Asher-Smith was pleased it accurately depicted her body. "Most importantly for me there was the muscle tone, because I think it is really, really important the young girls see all aspects of femininity," she said. Barbie is also supporting the RFU's Girls' Activity Days scheme which aims to introduce girls to rugby. More than 400 clubs are hosting one of the events this summer."We know how important the visibility of rugby is in attracting girls and boys to our sport and it's been a core part of our strategy for the women's and girls' game for many years," said Alex Teasdale, RFU executive director of the women's game."We wanted to collaborate with Barbie to introduce the game to new audiences and champion female voices in the sport."
