Daniel McDonnell: Select few will be doing the heavy lifting in latest Irish Premier League story
The beginning of the Premier League season doubles as a reminder that the World Cup is around the corner.
All the players kicking off their campaigns this weekend will be hoping that there's a trip to the USA coming at the end of it. A small contingent of Irishmen will be among them, with the relegation of Ipswich and Southampton cutting down the top-flight headcount in a manner that would impress a penny-pinching accountant.
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Irish Daily Mirror
10 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
New Match of the Day hosts set out plans for new era after Gary Lineker exit
We're a third of the way into BBC Sport's Match of the Day panel before any of the new hosts even mention Gary Lineker, and it's merely a fleeting reference. This season sees Gabby Logan, Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman taking over presenting duties following Lineker's highly publicised departure. Speaking at the Beeb's season launch event in London, they're all set to look ahead while honouring what has made the show a hit. "It's a team effort," asserts Chapman. "All three of us have agreed it's not going to be about us - which might not be what the bosses want to hear. (Image: PA) "We've all worked in sport and it's about the pundits first and foremost, getting the best out of the pundits, and that's the most important thing for us. But this, for me, is a show that is thriving. It's a show that we hope to continue doing what's been done so far." All three hosts are coming at the project with different experiences, with Chapman a regular in the format after regularly hosting Match of the Day 2 in recent seasons (the Sunday show will drop the '2' this term, bringing it on level footing with the Saturday programme and midweek Champions League coverage). Cates' experience is more in the live football realm through her Sky Sports work, while Logan - who anchored The BBC's coverage of the Euro 2025 final as well as stepping in on MOTD in the past - is somewhere in the middle. There's a sense that an ability to continue doing other work in sport was key for all three, ensuring none are known just for their work on the highlights show. And that breadth of experience - speaking to footballers in different contexts and speaking to athletes from other sports - will only strengthen the quality of their interactions with the rotating team of pundits on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday nights while allowing them to focus on bringing something unique to viewers. "It's also about making sure we're talking about what people are interested in," Cates says. "And I think that's down to us to not get caught up in being too telly and not get caught up in being too driven by that, but actually to be listening to what fans are saying. It's never been easier to find out than it is now." All three of the new presenters have plenty of experience presenting high-profile sport,from live Premier League matches to the Olympic Games, but there's still something different about Match of the Day. "It's great fun, it's a great privilege, and you're working with great people and you want to be able to relax as the audience hopefully feels at home, so they can sit back and enjoy it," Logan says. "So when that music plays there's always a frisson of excitement, a few little butterflies, and I think you need that for a performance. And that's hopefully going to result in some fantastic shows this season and people will enjoy them." This might be why, even in a period where most of us will know the results long before 10.30 in the evening - and some of us will have already seen the goals - we will still tune in. As Logan herself puts it, the show provides a "full stop" on the day's action, and it's still where so many people will come for the final word. The challenge now is ensuring they want to hear that word from a new team of presenters after the familiarity Lineker built up over a quarter of a century. Match of the Day returns this evening on this opening weekend of the Premier League season, with Chapman in the hotseat on Saturday and Logan on Sunday. The BBC will have highlights available online earlier than ever before this season, with fans able to watch goals online before Match of the Day airs. And this allows whoever is in the chair on any given Saturday to remember what their focus needs to be. "Since the match of the day started, it's been about the highlights, it's about seeing what's happened," Cates acknowledges. "Really we're just there to help."
Irish Daily Mirror
10 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Burnley star becomes first player in Premier League history to be penalised
Burnley's goalkeeper, Martin Dubravka, has made Premier League history as the first player to be penalised under new rules designed to curb time-wasting. The incident occurred during Burnley's match against Tottenham, when Dubravka held onto the ball for more than eight seconds, resulting in a corner being awarded to the opposition. This rule change is one of several introduced this season, with referees now tasked with giving goalkeepers a countdown before awarding a corner if they fail to release the ball promptly. The game, which saw Spurs secure a comfortable 3-0 victory thanks to a double from Richarlison and a goal from Brennan Johnson, was marked by this early incident. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) approved the rule change earlier this year, and it was first implemented at the Club World Cup. (Image: Premier League) Speaking after the tournament, FIFA's head of referees Pieluigi Collina said: "It was very successful; the tempo of the match was improved. We had no time lost by goalkeepers keeping the ball between their hands for a very long time - as happened quite often in matches before. "The purpose was not to give corner kicks, but to prevent the eight seconds rule from being ignored. The purpose was 100% achieved." And speaking ahead of the new Premier League season, PGMOL boss Howard Webb explained: "It's quite a radical change, really, but the basic idea is to get the ball back into play more quickly. "It's meant to be preventative, not punitive. Like in other sports - if you play tennis at Wimbledon, you have to serve within a certain amount of seconds." Martin Dubravka fell foul of a new rule against Tottenham (Image: BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images) However, West Ham's vice-chairman Karren Brady is not a fan of the rule change, branding it "daft tinkering" in a column for the Sun. Brady wrote: "What was wrong with the old rule which gave keepers six seconds to release, with punishment in the form of an indirect free-kick? "Beats me. It was hardly ever enforced anyway. The body which has come up with this latest daft tinkering, I meant well-researched brainstorm, the International Football Association Board, must have spent ages on it. Referee Michael Oliver gave a countdown before penalising Dubravka (Image: Paul Terry / Sportimage) "Probably in a well-stocked five-star hotel somewhere near FIFA's Swiss Alps headquarters. The purpose of this newest change is to cut down on time-wasting but how can extending possession from six to eight seconds do that? "And also the fact that the 'old' rule was almost never imposed surely means it was a good rule. A bit like competent refereeing, if you don't know they are there, chances are the official is doing a decent job."
Irish Daily Mirror
10 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Odegaard responds to Adams' demands for Rice's Arsenal captaincy switch
Martin Odegaard has robustly defended his captaincy at Arsenal following sharp criticism from Tony Adams. The club legend targeted Odegaard, 26, by insisting that the Gunners won't claim the Premier League crown whilst he remains skipper. The former Arsenal captain called on Mikel Arteta to hand the armband to teammate Declan Rice, arguing that such a switch would give Odegaard greater attacking licence. However, Adams won't see his wish fulfilled after the squad emphatically backed the Norwegian to continue as captain for the 2025-26 campaign. Odegaard has now hit back at Adams in an interview before Sunday's season opener away to Manchester United. When quizzed about his leadership approach, the midfielder told Sky Sports: "It's a lot to be fair. It's a lot of small things. It's hard to describe it, it's more like a constant role you do. "There's always these small things you have to do. In general it's just how I see it is to get the best out of the team and how to give the team the right mindset. Help the players around you, get the best mindset in everyone. "I think before the game just on the pitch I do a little one (team talk) and inside the dressing room we have different people talking. It's not just me there's a lot of people sharing the responsibility and the manager does a lot as well. It's a shared thing. It's not just me all the time." (Image: Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC via Getty Images) Adams admitted during an event for Irish Independent that Odegaard wasn't his 'kind' of captain. "The call is to make Declan Rice the captain," the ex-Gunners defender began in a plea to Arteta. "I think Declan is my kind of captain, and it might free Odegaard up to play with a bit more freedom. Every now and again as a manager, you have to put someone who reflects you, who reflects the football club that you think can actually take you to the next level. "He (Arteta) has got an opportunity this year to actually turn into a winner. To win league titles, you have to be a [Jurgen] Klopp, you have to be a [Sir Alex] Ferguson. You have to lead by example, you have to be a winner, you have to go about your business. And that reflects in your captain. (Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images) "And I'm seeing Declan Rice as a captain but I'm saying to Arteta: Come on, step up now. It's your time to be a winning manager and a fantastic manager, because you're not going to win the league with Odegaard as captain." Arteta, though, believes that there's 'no question' that Odegaard should be captain. "Well my opinion is clear and it's not just my opinion, it's all the staff and especially the players." the Gunners boss explained. "I asked them to vote the captain and I got the result yesterday. And by a mile, by a big, big 100 miles, everybody choosing the same person, which is Martin Odegaard, and which is the most clear sign that you can have. "It's how they feel about who has to be their captain to defend, improve and win the matches that we want to win. So I think there's no question about that."
