Liverpool 'won't take anything for granted'
In reality, every player is different but most of the players in the build-up to the Carabao Cup final will want to stick to their normal routines.But it is a very hard thing to do when you know the scale of the game ahead.Getting a chance to play at Wembley is always a huge privilege and one that players do not ever take for granted.Interestingly for these teams, Liverpool have won there in recent years but Newcastle lost two years ago.Liverpool are trying to retain their trophy from last season, knowing that they are also in a great position in the league, even if they are now out of the Champions League.What is the energy like? Have they recovered and understand this is part of the process? Looking historically, it suggests that they can, but they know they will be arriving as favourites.Newcastle caused Liverpool problems this season in the game at St James' Park so they will not take anything for granted.The game feels bigger for Newcastle because their history is not littered with trophies or Wembley appearances and the Reds have has significant success in terms of major trophies in the past 10 years - but it is huge for both teams.The chance to win any trophy in any season is a privilege and to walk up those steps and lift it in front of all your supporters who have come down for this one-off day is amazing. You can never take that for granted.It is a case of being prepared, being ready for the moment and understanding the lights will shine down on you for that game.It is a case of making sure they are not too bright for you given the occasion.Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Nat Hayward
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
STV News
42 minutes ago
- STV News
Scotland boss Steve Clarke pays tribute to departing assistant John Carver
Scotland head coach Steve Clarke paid tribute to 'outstanding' assistant John Carver after confirming his colleague was leaving the international set-up. The 60-year-old took over as Lechia Gdansk manager in November and will focus on his club job after being handed an extended contract having guided the team to Polish top-flight survival. Carver has been with Scotland since August 2020 when he replaced Alex Dyer as Clarke's right-hand man. Speaking after the 4-0 friendly win over Liechtenstein in Vaduz, Clarke said: 'John's leaving. He's got a full-time contract, three years in Gdansk. So he's going to move on. The only surprise for me is that it's taken five years for somebody to take John off me. 'We came across each other way back in 1998 at Newcastle when I was a young coach and John was an even younger coach. He was looking after the younger players at Newcastle. 'We always said that we'd try and work together. It took us a long time to get there. But we did. He's been outstanding for us. 'For me as a head coach, John's been a fantastic assistant. Obviously, I wish him all the best in the future. Now I've got to start the job of looking to fill his shoes, and they are big shoes to fill.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Father of kickboxer, 15, breaks down in tears at inquest as he reveals how 'beautiful son' suddenly collapsed moments after unsanctioned fight and died three days later
A tearful father told an inquest how his 15-year-old 'beautiful son' suddenly collapsed after an unsanctioned kickboxing match. Stephen Eastwood, 40, from Liverpool, said he stayed with his son Alex Eastwood at his hospital bedside until he passed away three days after the fatal bout. He told Bolton Coroner's Court: 'I would just like people to remember him as a wonderful, beautiful son. He was just a lovely, lovely boy. He was a beautiful soul.' Alex collapsed after the third and final round of a 'light contact' kickboxing bout in a ring at a gym in Platt Bridge, Wigan on June 29, 2024. He was rushed to hospital but had suffered a serious head injury. Unusually, Michael Pemberton, assistant coroner for Manchester (West), ahead of Alex's inquest, which started on Monday, has already raised concerns with the government in March this year about the safety of children in combat sports. Alex took up kickboxing aged nine, trained five times a week at Hurricane Combat and Fitness club in Fazakerley, Liverpool and had a 'meteoric' rise in the sport, having competed at high levels. He had grown to 6ft 7ins, weighed 80kg and had just finished his GCSEs the week before the fight was arranged with another opponent at the gym in Wigan. A tearful father told an inquest how his 15-year-old 'beautiful son' suddenly collapsed after an unsanctioned kickboxing match. Stephen Eastwood, 40, from Liverpool, said he stayed with his son Alex Eastwood (pictured) at his hospital bedside until he passed away three days after the fatal bout The bout was to be the 'main event' but was an unofficial or unsanctioned event as it was a charity fundraiser, not a bout to win a title under the main governing body for the sport in the UK, Kickboxing GB. Alex, who was wearing a headguard, suddenly became unwell after the end of the third and final, two-minute round. Father-of-three Mr Eastwood said he noticed his son, 'not looking right' as he held on to the ropes to make his way back to his corner. He added: 'I have run, dived into the ring under the ropes landed on my back. I have grabbed hold of my son, holding on to him, laid him on the ring. 'At that point, it just turned into a chaotic scene. You had two first aiders in the ring, I was pacing around using profanities and swearing. 'My son's breathing was like a big bulldog on a sunny day, struggling. He did have what seemed like a seizure. It felt like a lifetime, sir.' Paramedics arrived and took the teenager first to hospital in Wigan and then on to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, where surgeons were waiting to operate. But it was discovered he had suffered catastrophic brain damage and bleeding. Mr Eastwood said he, Alex's step-mother Nikita, his two siblings and other family spent time with him at the hospital. His father stayed with him at his bedside until he died on July 2, last year. His organs were donated. Daniel Wigelsworth, one of Alex's coaches at Hurricane Combat and Fitness in Liverpool, said he was party to arrangements for the bout Alex took part in, along with Dale Bannister, owner of the TKMA gym in Wigan, which was setting up a charity event. They arranged the fight with Alex's opponent, who has not been named, as a 'good match up' in terms of weight, age and skill. The inquest also heard there did not appear to be any definitive rules on the length of rounds and Mr Wigelsworth said the rules are 'unclear' with different interpretations of 'light contact' rules during bouts, it being left to coaches and referees. Mr Wigelsworth said he believed Alex's opponent was a year older than him, but in fact was two years his senior. The inquest heard competitions, exhibition events and 'fight nights' can be put on by individual clubs and independent promoters, and the governing body does not sanction fundraising events. Gordon Mitchell, director at Kickboxing GB, said the sport has a number of governing bodies that sanction fights but Kickboxing GB is the only one in the UK recognised by Sport England, the body supporting grassroots sport, and the World Association of Kickboxing Organisations (WAKO) which is itself recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Mr Mitchell said Kickboxing GB would never sanction 'light contact' bouts in a boxing ring due to safety reasons and these only take place outside a ring on mats. He said this is because it is easier to stop a fight on mats, by stepping off the mat, for example, if there is a mismatch. But he said in a bout in a ring, 'you are stuck between the ropes' and reliant on the referee to step in to stop a fight. 'There's more rules about stopping the fight early, on mats,' Mr Mitchell said. Adam Korn, a solicitor representing the Eastwood family, said despite these rules, unsanctioned, exhibition or 'fight night' bouts are frequently held up and down the country. Mr Korn said: 'Is that a concern to you?' 'Yes,' Mr Mitchell said. Mr Mitchell said he was aware of one other combat-related child death in the UK. Earlier this year the coroner wrote a Prevention of Future Deaths report to the government about the lack of regulation of contact sports for children, with no minimum standards or risk management. The inquest continues on Tuesday morning.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Father describes how son, 15, died during a kickboxing match: ‘It felt like a lifetime'
A father has spoken of his heartbreak at the loss of his "beautiful son" who died after collapsing during an unsanctioned kickboxing match. Fifteen-year-old Alex Eastwood collapsed after the third round of a "light contact" kickboxing bout in a ring at a gym in Platt Bridge, Wigan, on 29 June 2024. He was rushed to hospital but had suffered a serious head injury. His father, Stephen Eastwood, 40, from Liverpool, stayed with Alex at his hospital bedside until he passed away three days later. Speaking at Bolton Coroner's Court, he said: "I would just like people to remember him as a wonderful, beautiful son. He was just a lovely, lovely boy. He was a beautiful soul." Michael Pemberton, assistant coroner for Manchester (West), has already raised concerns with the government about the safety of children in combat sports. Alex took up kickboxing aged nine, trained five times a week at Hurricane Combat and Fitness club in Fazakerley, Liverpool, and had a "meteoric" rise in the sport, having competed at high levels. He had grown to 6ft 7ins, weighed 80kg and had just finished his GCSEs the week before the fight was arranged with another opponent at the gym in Wigan. The bout was to be the 'main event' but was an unofficial or unsanctioned event as it was a charity fundraiser, not a bout to win a title under the main governing body for the sport in the UK, Kickboxing GB. Alex, who was wearing a headguard, suddenly became unwell after the end of the third and final, two-minute round. Father-of-three Mr Eastwood said he noticed his son, 'not looking right' as he held on to the ropes to make his way back to his corner. He added: 'I have run, dived into the ring under the ropes landed on my back. I have grabbed hold of my son, holding on to him, laid him on the ring. 'At that point, it just turned into a chaotic scene. You had two first aiders in the ring, I was pacing around using profanities and swearing. 'My son's breathing was like a big bulldog on a sunny day, struggling. 'He did have what seemed like a seizure. 'It felt like a lifetime, sir.' Paramedics arrived and took the teenager first to hospital in Wigan and then on to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, where surgeons were waiting to operate. But it was discovered he had suffered catastrophic brain damage and bleeding. Mr Eastwood said he, Alex's step-mother Nikita, his two siblings and other family spent time with him at the hospital. His father stayed with him at his bedside until he died on July 2, last year. His organs were donated. Daniel Wigelsworth, one of Alex's coaches at Hurricane Combat and Fitness in Liverpool, said he was party to arrangements for the bout Alex took part in, along with Dale Bannister, owner of the TKMA gym in Wigan, which was setting up a charity event. They arranged the fight with Alex's opponent, who has not been named, as a 'good match up' in terms of weight, age and skill. The inquest also heard there did not appear to be any definitive rules on the length of rounds and Mr Wigelsworth said the rules are 'unclear' with different interpretations of 'light contact' rules during bouts, it being left to coaches and referees. Mr Wigelsworth said he believed Alex's opponent was a year older than him, but in fact was two years his senior. The inquest heard competitions, exhibition events and 'fight nights' can be put on by individual clubs and independent promoters, and the governing body does not sanction fundraising events. Gordon Mitchell, director at Kickboxing GB, said the sport has a number of governing bodies that sanction fights but Kickboxing GB is the only one in the UK recognised by Sport England, the body supporting grassroots sport, and the World Association of Kickboxing Organisations (WAKO), which is itself recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Mr Mitchell said Kickboxing GB would never sanction 'light contact' bouts in a boxing ring due to safety reasons and these only take place outside a ring on mats. He said this is because it is easier to stop a fight on mats, by stepping off the mat, for example, if there is a mismatch. But he said in a bout in a ring, 'you are stuck between the ropes' and reliant on the referee to step in to stop a fight. 'There's more rules about stopping the fight early, on mats,' Mr Mitchell said. Adam Korn, a solicitor representing the Eastwood family, said despite these rules, unsanctioned, exhibition or 'fight night' bouts are frequently held up and down the country. Mr Korn said: 'Is that a concern to you?' 'Yes,' Mr Mitchell said. Mr Mitchell said he was aware of one other combat-related child death in the UK. Earlier this year the coroner wrote a Prevention of Future Deaths report to the government about the lack of regulation of contact sports for children, with no minimum standards or risk management. The inquest continues on Tuesday morning.
