Latest news with #FinnAzaz
The Irish Sun
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Two more Prem clubs join Crystal Palace in race to sign Ireland star after impressing in Championship
BOURNEMOUTH and Leeds United have joined Crystal Palace in the race to sign Ireland midfielder Finn Azaz. Middlesbrough playmaker Azaz, 24, has 23 goals and 21 assists in the Championship over the past two seasons that has put him high on top flight clubs shopping lists. Advertisement 2 The playmaker was arguably Ireland's best player in the March window 2 The FA Cup winners aren't the only Premier League club keeping tabs on him Credit: Getty And it is understood that Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth and Leeds United, who won promotion this season, are also keen on his services. Azaz has two years to run on his Middlesbrough contract and But Boro may have difficulty turning down offers for a player they signed for £4 million just 18 months ago from Aston Villa, after he impressed on loan with Plymouth. Advertisement Read More On Irish Football A potential move to the top flight would also be a boost for Ireland boss He has been rested for next month's friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg as the Championship season finished a month ago, but will be back for the World Cup qualifiers. Shamrock Rovers snap up Northern Ireland Under-21s goal-getter as Stephen Bradley gives exciting verdict
Irish Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Recruiting talent from Ireland's diaspora the key to progress
For 14 years I had two weeks' holidays, always in late June, squeezed in between commitments to club and country. The lack of recovery time has a lot to do with the serious back issues I've suffered in my 40s. That and rushing back from surgery. And playing on when my body was screaming for me to stop. It catches up with you. Nowadays, the modern footballer knows how to prepare his or her body for each season. It is more scientific. They know when to rest and when to keep the blood flowing. READ MORE But there is only one way to recover from a 46-game EFL Championship campaign and it has nothing to do with playing June friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg. Allowing Irish players at Championship clubs to take the summer off is sensible management by Heimir Hallgrímsson. I know Burnley and Middlesbrough will benefit from refreshed versions of Josh Cullen and Finn Azaz showing up for preseason in July. A full club season, summer football, into World Cup qualifiers in September, October and November are unsustainable. It's usually around the Christmas glut of games that you are either managing injuries or mentally frazzled. Usually both. Before your head stops spinning, you are back in the Republic of Ireland camp, back in preseason, back grinding away for your club. The years fly by. Instructing the likes of Cullen and Azaz to rest and recuperate gives Hallgrímsson a better chance at fielding the strongest possible line-up when Hungary come to Dublin on September 6th. Ireland cannot afford to lose another opening qualifier or drop points in Armenia three days later. Not if the manager's unwavering belief that we will qualify for North America 2026 is to be proved correct. Josh Cullen of Burnley and Republic of Ireland is set to play in the Premier League next season after his club secured promotion. Photograph: Mike Morese/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images Robbie Brady is a special case having only started 18 matches for Preston North End this season. And he is Ireland's only established left back. And he takes the frees. And he is Robbie Brady. Brady is the very person John Joe Patrick Finn should be rubbing shoulders with next month. We don't know how good Finn is. Like everyone else, I only see snippets of Irish qualified players on social media. The Ireland manager flew to France to meet the 21-year-old and to see if this big defensive midfielder could slot in beside Cullen. 'He's exciting, but is he good enough now for this level?' wondered Hallgrímsson this week. 'We'll have to wait and see.' Irish training sessions used to sort out the men from the boys. There is a line of succession from Jack Charlton's squad to the current group that makes the presence of Brady so important to introducing Finn, a youngster from Madrid with a Mayo Dad, to the standards expected of a Republic of Ireland player. At training. In games. Away from camp. You learn through osmosis how to be an international footballer. My first interaction with the senior players was intimidating. In 1997, Andy Townsend, Tony Cascarino, John Aldridge and Ray Houghton were my heroes. That mindset was quickly dispelled, particularly by Ray demanding the ball. 'I'm not running into the corner lad – give it into feet!' Being exposed to their standards was a steep learning curve. I know there are stories of Ireland camps turning into big drinking sessions. But that first Sunday night, when you'd rush to catch a flight to Dublin, was run out of your legs on the Monday and Tuesday before a Wednesday international. Coming from Preston's first team into a group of legends that played at the World Cup, along with Steve Staunton from Liverpool and Roy Keane at Manchester United, was a shock to the system. Coming from Stade Reims to Ireland could prove a similar experience for Finn. I struggled with the intensity of the sessions. There are exceptions, like a 17-year-old Robbie Keane who was fearless and technically ready. He even nutmegged the gaffer, Mick McCarthy. I remember, years later, Brian Kerr would bring League of Ireland players into camp like the Bohemians goal machine Glen Crowe. I always admired Glen's quality but the pace of training tended to catch out other lads not playing regularly at a higher level. Josh Honohan of Shamrock Rovers should not be intimidated by Republic of Ireland training sessions. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Nowadays, Shamrock Rovers defender Josh Honohan and Finn, coming from Ligue 1, should not be intimidated by the Ireland sessions. They should be up to speed. But they must show they belong. You need to earn the respect of senior internationals in camp before they trust you in a game. Besides Crowe, Staunton and Keane, all the names mentioned above were born in England or Scotland. Recruiting from the diaspora has never been so important to our progress as a football nation, because we lack the numbers, facilities and professional coaching at home. We also lack the spread of club academies to cater for the 16- 18-year-olds blocked by Brexit from moving to a UK club. There are talented second and third generation Irish players dotted across the MLS and North America leagues that I see working for Canadian television. Connecting with a player like Finn, a Spanish-born, French-based professional with Mayo blood should be the next frontier for Irish football. I know the FAI have recruited Aidan Price from Rovers to be their head of talent identification. Besides Heimir, there are few more important roles in Irish football in the years ahead.
The Irish Sun
14-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Everything can happen' – Hallgrimsson explains changes after Ireland stars given summer off before World Cup qualifiers
HEIMIR HALLGRIMSSON insisted Ireland must fake it until they make it as he said he is already thinking about next year's World Cup. The manager next month, with Josh Cullen and Finn Azaz among the stars omitted. Advertisement 2 Heimir Hallgrimsson named his Ireland squad for the June friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg Credit: Ben McShane/Sportsfile 2 Finn Azaz is one of the big names not included Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile But he told those whose club season is already over in the summer holiday — as He said: 'We expect to go straight from the season into the 'We expect to have no holiday next summer. I plan for success. If you plan for success then you shouldn't talk differently. I hope I'm not offending anyone but this is how we should all think — we are going there.' Advertisement Read More on Ireland MNT The team that finishes in top spot qualifies, while the side in second place will go into the play-offs, where Ireland would need to win two one-off ties. Hallgrimsson added: 'Everything can happen of course. We can be unlucky in games, with injuries or whatever, but we plan for success. 'It's so different this World Cup. September, October, November, finished. We will know in just over two months and we need everyone fit and flying. One injury can prevent a player from playing in any group-stage matches. 'If we have everyone flying in September, October, November, we have a much better chance of qualifying.' Advertisement Most read in Football And that is why he opted to rest the majority of Championship players who might have made his squad. Compared to nine in his panel in March, there are just three for June. Heimir Hallgrimsson 'happy with character and discipline' in win over Bulgaria but reveals where Ireland need to improve Hallgrimsson added: 'The only exception is Hallgrimsson also highlighted that the confidence Ireland got from beating Bulgaria home and away in March can stand to the team when they kick off the qualifiers against Hungary on September 6. Advertisement He continued: 'I know there hasn't been a lot of confidence in the team but we feel that is growing. 'Our last camp was probably the best one in that we felt it before the game started that there was belief, confidence and energy in the squad, and long may that continue.'
The Independent
03-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Coventry City vs Middlesbrough LIVE: Championship latest score, goals and updates from fixture
Follow live coverage as Coventry City face Middlesbrough in the Championship today. An increasingly competitive second tier in English football remains an intense and exciting competition, with the prize of a place in the Premier League on offer at the end of the season. Relegation from the top flight last term means Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United are all back in the second tier this term and will be expected to push for play-off spots again at least, but so too will Norwich City, an improving Coventry and beaten play-off finalists Leeds United. At the other end of the table, Wayne Rooney is aiming to revive Plymouth's fortunes after they narrowly avoided relegation last year, with Portsmouth and Derby the teams promoted from League One along with play-off final winners Oxford. Follow live updates from today's game in the live blog below. Coventry City vs Middlesbrough Fourth official has announced 1 minutes of added time. 3 May 2025 13:17 Coventry City vs Middlesbrough First Half ends, Coventry City 1, Middlesbrough 0. 3 May 2025 13:17 Coventry City vs Middlesbrough Goal! Coventry City 1, Middlesbrough 0. Jack Rudoni (Coventry City) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Tatsuhiro Sakamoto with a cross. 3 May 2025 13:14 Coventry City vs Middlesbrough Foul by Milan van Ewijk (Coventry City). 3 May 2025 13:13 Coventry City vs Middlesbrough Dael Fry (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the defensive half. 3 May 2025 13:12 Coventry City vs Middlesbrough Foul by Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough). 3 May 2025 13:11 Coventry City vs Middlesbrough Corner, Middlesbrough. Conceded by Ben Wilson. 3 May 2025 13:10 Coventry City vs Middlesbrough Attempt saved. Finn Azaz (Middlesbrough) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Hayden Hackney. 3 May 2025 13:10 Coventry City vs Middlesbrough Attempt blocked. Morgan Whittaker (Middlesbrough) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Finn Azaz. 3 May 2025 13:10 Coventry City vs Middlesbrough 3 May 2025 13:09
BBC News
04-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Pick of the stats: Bristol City v Watford
Bristol City host Watford in a game which could have a significant impact on the play-off race on Saturday (15:00 BST).Liam Manning's men sit eighth but outside the top six on goal difference alone, with fifth-placed Coventry only two points ahead.A win would take the Robins seven points clear of the ninth-placed Hornets with six games remaining, but defeat would close the gap to just a point in a congested battle for the two final play-off City have won just two of their past 11 league games against Watford (D5 L4), a 2-0 home win in January 2013 and a 4-1 away victory in December are looking to complete a league double over Bristol City for the first time since the 1998-99 City have won seven of their past nine home league matches (D1 L1) and have only conceded five goals across these scored fewer goals than any other side in the Championship in March (2), despite having the sixth-most shots of any side (64).Only Middlesbrough's Finn Azaz (77) has created more chances in the Championship this season than Watford's Giorgi Chakvetadze (73).
