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Manager search delay shows owner's 'contempt', says Supporters' Trust

Manager search delay shows owner's 'contempt', says Supporters' Trust

BBC Newsa day ago

Cardiff City Supporters' Trust (CCST) has accused owner Vincent Tan of treating the club's fanbase with "contempt" over what the fans' body says is an "intolerable" delay and lack of communication over the appointment of a new manager.Cardiff had three different managers as they were relegated from the Championship this season and are now looking for a ninth boss in four years.Erol Bulut was fired in September and his successor Omar Riza received his marching orders in April. Aaron Ramsey was appointed Cardiff interim manager for the final three games of the 2024-25 Championship season but was unable to keep them from relegation.The club said in May that it would trial a new process to appoint the next manager, by assembling a sub-committee, and were hopeful of appointing a new boss by the end of that month.But with the process now dragging on towards the middle of June, CCST issued a statement expressing its concern."Time is moving on, critical pre-season decisions need to be made in terms of the squad which cannot happen without a manager," read the statement."It is as long ago as 19 April that Omer Riza was relieved of his duties and 3 May was the final game of the season and it is 10 June that this communication is being written with still no sign of an appointment. "As the ultimate power within the club does Vincent Tan have a sense of urgency?"The club may say that there is no reason to panic but it is fair to say that the fanbase view the situation with some concern and anger. "That fact that there has been a deafening silence from the club has not been helpful... we are led to believe that the current state of inertia/indecision is purely down to the owner [Tan] and... [chief executive] Ken Choo."The statement continued: "This situation is intolerable and only serves to demonstrate the contempt the owner holds the fanbase in."We have no idea where we are in the process. Are the experts employed to assist in the job of finding a new manager still in the building? Are they continuing to advise? We hope they are but we just don't know."We will continue to liaise with the club to try and urge them to improve communication as fans deserve to be treated better."

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Sky Sports News' golden age at an end as rival platforms turn up the volume
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Sky Sports News' golden age at an end as rival platforms turn up the volume

A constant in pubs, gyms and hotel breakfast rooms, almost always with the sound down. Perhaps not since cinema's silent age have faces been so familiar without the general public knowing their voices. The vibe is more casual than in previous times, shirt sleeves rather than business suits, but the formula remains the same: a carousel of news, clips, quotes, quips, centred around highlights, all framed within a constant flow of results, fixtures and league tables. Sky Sports News hits 27 years of broadcasting in August, having been launched for the 1998-99 football season by BSkyB. As the domestic football season concluded, news came of changes within the Osterley-based newsroom. Seven members of the broadcast talent team would be leaving, including the long-serving Rob Wotton and the senior football reporter Melissa Reddy, within a process of voluntary redundancies. Sky sources – not those Sky sources – are keen to state the changes are not a cost-cutting exercise, instead a redress of SSN's place within a changing media environment. Ronan Kemp, the One Show presenter and Celebrity Goggleboxer, is understood to be in discussions to join Sky and despite Wotton's departure, Ref Watch will still be serving those who get their kicks from re-refereeing matches and VAR calls. Rolling news, which became common currency around the time of the initial Gulf war with Iraq is no longer the go-to information environment. Sky News, SSN's sister organisation, is going through similar changes, including the loss of the veteran anchor Kay Burley. The smartphone, where news alerts supplant even social media, takes the strain of keeping the world informed of Micky van de Ven's latest hamstring injury. Desperate to hear even more from Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville? There are podcasts and YouTube channels available at a swipe. 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EXCLUSIVE 'Sam Allardyce wanted to kick my door down': IAN LADYMAN tells Mark Clattenburg about extraordinary run-in with former Premier League manager on new Mail podcast
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Podcast All episodes Mail Football Editor Ian Ladyman told ex-elite referee Mark Clattenburg about a particularly exceptional exchange he had with former Premier League manager Sam Allardyce on the latest episode of the Whistleblowers podcast. Ladyman revealed he had a tense phone call with 'Big' Sam Allardyce during the former Bolton, Newcastle and West Ham boss's early days at Notts County in the late nineties. Allardyce won the Third Division with Notts County in 1998, which led to him being offered the chance to manage relative giants Bolton in the Championship a year later. 'Sam is friend of mine. When I first met him, I was working for a local newspaper', Ladyman said. 'He was the manager of Notts County, and it was my job to cover the club. They had taken a player on trial who had just come back to football after failing a drugs test. Whistleblowers, brought to you by the Mail and Wickes TradePro - is football's most original new podcast - lifting the lid on the parts of the game no one else talks about 'Twenty years ago, that was very rare. So, I rang Sam and told him I was going to write a story. 'Sam said I could write the story - but told me not to mention the drugs ban. I am like, Sam, that is the only reason the story is interesting. 'The fact your signing Joe Bloggs doesn't matter – we have got to mention the drugs ban. He said, you do that – and I will kick your f***ing door down. 'I had only just arrived in Nottingham and was living in a hotel – so I replied, you're not going to be able to do that Sam. 'He said: I will come to that hotel and kick every door down until I find yours.' Whistleblowers is a brand-new football podcast, brought to you by The Mail in association with Wickes TradePro. From what really goes on in the referee's room, to how clubs spin crises and who's pulling the strings behind the scenes - Whistleblowers brings the inside stories only those at the heart of the game can tell. Co-host Mark Clattenburg shared his affection for Sam Allardyce and what it was like referring his 'big character' in the dugout. Listen here Co-host Mark Clattenburg shared his affection for Sam Allardyce and what it was like referring his 'big character' in the dugout. 'I used to love Big Sam as a coach', the official said. 'I miss his character. At Bolton, he used to abuse me and the fourth official all the time and I used to ask him why and he would say – just to get the crowd going. 'I remember one time – we had a big bar bill at St George's Park. West Ham had been playing Aston Villa. It was worth a large sum of money. 'I went to Big Sam and Neil McDonald and said, my God – that bar bill was huge last night. 'They said the club would be launching an investigation and somebody would be sacked. I asked why – they told me they wanted to find out who'd had the coffee.' For more anecdotes from inside the world of football, search for Whistleblowers now, wherever you get your podcasts.

Thomas Tuchel: My mum finds Jude Bellingham's attitude repulsive
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The England head coach, Thomas Tuchel, has said his mother finds the 'fire' and 'rage' within Jude Bellingham 'repulsive' and warned the midfielder his aggressive streak could intimidate his team-mates. In a remarkable assessment of the Real Madrid star, Tuchel said England needed Bellingham at the core of their team in order to win the World Cup next summer but added that the 21-year-old also needed to channel his 'edge' correctly. Bellingham exploded in anger at the final whistle after Tuesday's 3-1 friendly defeat by Senegal, having had a late goal, which would have made it 2-2 at the time, ruled out after a VAR review for handball by Levi Colwill. Bellingham booted the ball across the City Ground pitch, kicked a drinks cooler, and then made a beeline for one of the officials before being intercepted by the captain Harry Kane. 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You see sometimes the explosion towards referees and the anger in his game, so if he can channel this in the right way and we can help him in this, then for sure he has the something that we need and he has a certain edge that is hard to find. 'He's a nice kid and very open, very intelligent. I struggle to see that [England would be better off without him]. I struggle to see that. I think it has to be the other way around. How we can have the best version of him . . . but I see that it can create mixed emotions. 'I see this with my parents, with my mum, that she sometimes cannot see the nice and well-educated and well-behaved guy that I see and the smile. 'If he smiles, he wins everyone [over]. But sometimes you see the rage, you see the hunger, and the rage and the fire, and it comes out in a way that can be a bit repulsive. For example, for my mother, when she sits in front of the TV [watching him]. 'But in general, we are very happy to have him. He's a special boy.' How and when Tuchel addresses the subject with Bellingham is unclear. The midfielder is likely to miss the September games against Andorra and Serbia as he is scheduled to undergo surgery on a long-standing shoulder injury after this summer's Club World Cup. Tuchel also addressed which position Bellingham is best suited to as he looks to find a convincing formula after two disappointing performances — the defeat by Senegal and drab 1-0 win over Andorra — which have brought scrutiny only four games into his tenure. Bellingham played in an advanced position against the European minnows on Saturday and then came on in more of a central midfield role against Senegal, although he quickly bounded forward. 'That is a good question [about his best position] that applies to many of our players because from the outside I thought for many years that he could be a No6 or No8,' Tuchel said. 'Then he had this amazing season where he played like a false nine at Real Madrid and scored and scored and was involved in chances. I still see this hunger. If you look at our first match against Albania and his diving header in the box, the hunger to go with his body in front of the defender to dive into this ball without any fear. 'It just shows me the determination that he has to be on the scoreboard . . . what I normally see only in strikers. I think now he's more a 8-10 than a 6-8, maybe a 10.' 'I'm more convinced than ever of Henderson's value' Tuchel also espoused the importance of selecting Jordan Henderson, who turns 35 next week, despite criticism from supporters, and indicated that he was looking to stay in the job beyond next summer when his contract expires and lead England into a home European Championship in 2028. On Henderson, Tuchel said: 'I am, until now, not aware of it [criticism for calling Henderson up]. We were convinced about this move to bring him back and, since I met him in person and since I saw him, observed him in camp, I am more convinced than ever that he is a very, very important addition to this group. Especially when we talk about setting standards and keeping the group up to the standards, then he is, at the moment, the man I don't want to miss. 'He is still lean, he is still fit, he is still ready to push on a level that matches the international level. I am convinced he is still ambitious. He pushes the group, he takes care of training, he takes care of the attitude. He brings players together. 'We see different, best versions of players when Jordan is in camp, than if he is not in camp.' Having been brought in by the FA to win the World Cup, it was widely expected that Tuchel, 51, would leave were he to fall short. However, he has now said he would like to stay for longer. 'I will always be tempted to stay, because I love the group and I love the opportunity,' he said. 'It's an honour to be England's head coach. I know what is coming after [the World Cup], a huge tournament in England. I will always be tempted. I can tell you that, even after the disappointing result yesterday. 'If you ask me today, yes, [he will stay, even if England don't win the World Cup]. Because, like I said, I feel that I am in the right place. I wanted a new challenge. I wanted a new environment. 'I feel the support, I feel the trust and the respect of the people in the federation. I love the group of players. I want to push them and it just feels right.' Tuchel acknowledges need to improve Tuchel, meanwhile, has admitted that he needs to improve his own performance as England head coach as he battles to prevent his reign from unravelling. Speaking after the ramshackle 3-1 loss to Senegal at the City Ground, he said: 'If you know me, then you know after a loss I will never say, 'Yes, it's a good start.' Never. I will never allow that to myself. 'With a job and building an atmosphere and building a group and being a leader it's about more than just results but of course I'm judging myself also on results. I want to win every match. So it's not perfect. 'We need to get better. I need to get better. There's still a long way to go. Next week is not the World Cup. It's in one year and next World Cup qualifier we're smarter than we were today. I still stand by the decision to select this team and see these players in these combinations and take the responsibility for it.' The rude awakening over the past week should, if nothing else, serve to focus Tuchel's mind and fast-track his thought process on what he wants his England team to look like. In particular, that affects Kyle Walker, who was criticised for his display against the Senegalese, and Jack Grealish, who was not selected for the squad. Tuchel wants players performing regularly at club level if they are to remain in his plans but both players are surplus to requirements at Manchester City and need to secure moves. 'For sure I hope this for everyone,' Tuchel said. 'Everyone gets his place back in any club where they play. I just said it to the players. 'You have now, unfortunately, a long pause but I expect you to be fit when you start pre-season with your club, I expect you to get your place, wherever you play, and I expect you to be in the right mindset when we start in the World Cup season in September. 'It will, by nature and also by fixtures and the timeline, get more competitive in the nomination process. It will be more streamlined. 'It will be more competitive. That's where I want it to go anyway, no matter the result, and, therefore, we needed more images of the players, more experience with the players under pressure and under stress. We will take this into account.'

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