Brighton podcast: Verbruggen and Wolves build-up on Albion Unlimited
The Albion Unlimited team at BBC Radio Sussex are back with a fresh episode.
The team catch up with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen as he discusses Brighton's remaining fixtures, as well as the draw with Newcastle.
They also look ahead to Saturday's trip to Wolves and the Molineux side's transformation under Vitor Pereira.
Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
23 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Plymouth close to appointing Tom Cleverley as head coach after Muslic's exit
Tom Cleverley is poised to be named Plymouth Argyle's head coach. The club, relegated to League One, want to appoint the 35-year-old former Watford manager after being impressed in further talks this week. Cleverley is expected to succeed Miron Muslic, who left for Schalke at the end of last month, with an appointment anticipated in the next 48 hours. Cleverley, sacked by Watford last month after finishing 14th in the Championship, has been identified as Plymouth's No 1 target after final interviews with four candidates on Wednesday. Discussions are believed to have been held with Jack Wilshere and Des Buckingham but neither made the final stages. The St Mirren manager, Stephen Robinson, is thought to have made the last round of talks. The recruitment has been led by David Fox, their former player who was recently appointed head of football operations, and the former Norwich sporting director Stuart Webber, a consultant. Managerless Cardiff City have held advanced talks with Buckingham about their vacancy but the Leicester City coach Brian Barry-Murphy is also thought to be in the frame. Buckingham is out of work after being sacked by Oxford. Barry-Murphy joined Leicester in December after three years coaching in Manchester City's academy. Barry-Murphy's only previous management role was at Rochdale. Aaron Ramsey was a candidate for the job on a permanent basis after taking interim charge after Omer Riza's sacking in April but the Wales midfielder has agreed to prolong his career in Mexico with Pumas after his Cardiff contract expired. The 34-year-old is expected to sign a deal until the 2026 World Cup, for which Wales hope to qualify under Craig Bellamy. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion On Wednesday Cardiff conceded the recruitment process 'had taken longer than expected'. In a statement, Cardiff said: 'Having started with a blank canvas, we are proud of the final options presented to the board for consideration. This is an appointment that everyone wants to get right for the future of Cardiff City.'
Reuters
31 minutes ago
- Reuters
Four-week break among recommended player safeguards as part of new soccer study
MANCHESTER, England, June 12 (Reuters) - A four-week off-season break should be mandatory for professional soccer players, with two of those weeks to be a blackout period with no communication with club or national team, according to a new study. Seventy medical and performance experts agreed on 12 safeguards as part of the study released on Thursday by global players' union FIFPRO to protect players from calendar congestion and excessive workload. The safeguards include a minimum four-week retraining period after an off-season break before a return to competition. "Decoding the human body, performance, and sport-related injuries will be a lifelong scientific exercise for all of us," said Darren Burgess, chair of FIFPRO's High-Performance Advisory Network. "However, the results of this study show that there are certain minimum standards such as adequate rest between matches, and proper off-season breaks, that are common sense, aligned with scientific evidence and, above all, required by global occupational health and safety standards." The study's release comes days before the expanded FIFA Club World Cup kicks off in the United States amid player welfare concerns after an exhausting European season. FIFPRO are calling for the immediate implementation of the safeguards which also include a minimum four-week retraining period after a close-season break before a return to competition, and travel fatigue management which would mean rest periods after long-haul flights. Players should also have a mandatory one-day off per week during the season and there should be a one-week mid-season break with no club or national team travel, training or media commitments. FIFPRO are also calling for specific workload safeguards for academy players under the age of 18. More than 75% agreement was required amongst participants to establish each recommendation. While some safeguards exist under the collective bargaining agreements of some countries, international football lacks standardized regulations, FIFPRO said. The study's Delphi methodological approach was an electronic survey conducted from February to March 2025, involving experts working in the performance or medical team in men's professional football. Seventy-three percent of the experts are employed by football clubs, with 27% working for national teams. "If we can all agree that health comes first, then we should take steps to implement these safeguards," said FIFPRO's Medical Director Vincent Gouttebarge. In October, FIFPRO, the European leagues' group and Spain's LaLiga filed a joint complaint to European Union antitrust regulators, accusing soccer's global governing body FIFA of "abuse," concerned about the impact of the expanding football calendar on player wellbeing.
Leader Live
31 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Back-to-back matches to be introduced in revamped Women's Six Nations
The 'Super Saturday' style format has been introduced to 'deliver the best possible fan experience' and 'optimise the audience of fans tuning in around the world'. Reigning champions England will launch their title defence on Saturday, April 11 against Ireland at Allianz Stadium Twickenham. 🗓️ Dates for your diary 🤩 2026 Guinness Women's Six Nations fixtures 🏆#GuinnessW6N — Guinness Women's Six Nations (@Womens6Nations) June 12, 2025 Perennial runners-up France will host Italy in the opening match earlier that day before Scotland travel to Wales in the third game. Competition will conclude with a 'Super Sunday' on May 17, with England scheduled to visit France for a potential title decider in the final fixture. The Red Roses, who have won seven Six Nations titles in a row and are preparing for this year's home World Cup, will take on Scotland in round two on April 18 at Scottish Gas Murrayfield. John Mitchell's side will then host Wales a week later before travelling to Italy in round four on May 9. The final standings in the 2025 #GuinnessW6N 🏆 — Guinness Women's Six Nations (@Womens6Nations) April 27, 2025 The tournament will begin four weeks after the final weekend of the men's championship, having previously started a week later. 'The new approach to the schedule has been built to deliver the best possible fan experience for those attending fixtures, and through collaboration between unions and broadcasters to meet and optimise the audience of fans tuning in around the world,' read a statement from organisers. 'Following Rugby World Cup 2025 in England later this year, and with interest for the women's game anticipated to be at an all-time high, the opportunity in front of women's rugby is huge, and as the biggest annual event in the women's rugby calendar, the Guinness Women's Six Nations is in pole position to drive momentum.'
