Latest news with #JobiMcAnuff
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Orient loan stars 'difficult to replace'
Leyton Orient's loan stars, such as League One top scorer Charlie Kelman, Jamie Donley and goalkeeper Josh Keeley, will be hard to replace, says former O's midfielder Jobi Wellens' side were defeated 1-0 in the League One play-off final by Charlton Athletic, with 11 of the 18-strong matchday squad either on loan or out of contract this described the feeling as "heartbreaking" that he would not get to work with this current squad again as he reflected on the defeat at joined the club in March 2022 and won the League Two title the following year, he will now have to rebuild his squad again before his third full season begins in August."It's never helpful to have as many [players on loan] because every season you're having to restart again," McAnuff said on BBC Radio 5 Live's 72+ podcast."Jamie Donley the most assists, Charlie Kelman the most goals – that's already gone out [of] your team, so that is really difficult to replace." Kelman top-scored in the the league this season, with 22 goals, scoring a 23rd in the first leg of Orient's semi-final victory over Stockport County and a further four in other is set to return to his parent club Queens Park who has eight goals and 11 assists to his name, is due to head back to Tottenham along with goalkeeper Keeley, who made 45 appearances and scored a memorable FA Cup goal against Jack Currie is also set to leave, with his loan from Oxford United consortium GSG LOFC Limited completed a takeover of Leyton Orient in April to bring in new funds, with Nigel Travis continuing as who made 119 appearances for the O's, believes the club is in a healthier position than after their last League One play-off final defeat, in were beaten by Rotherham on penalties at Wembley and then relegated to League Two the following season, before dropping down to the National League two years later."I think there will be a hope of maybe getting some longer-term signings made," McAnuff, who won the National League title with the club in 2018-19, added. "One of the downsides of getting to a play-off final is you have less time to prepare, there's clubs who have already been doing a lot of that work, they've been making offers to players, maybe contracts are already signed."So there is a bit of catch-up to do but I think the club's in a really good place to move forward and it's an exciting place to be at Leyton Orient; fantastic club, lovely stadium and shown it can compete at the very top end of League One."
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Black Cats praised by BBC podcast team
Sunderland have been chosen as the Team of the Season by the pundits on the 72+ EFL guiding the Black Cats to promotion via a dramatic play-off final win over Sheffield United at Wembley on Saturday, head coach Regis Le Bris was singled out for praise, though he missed out on the Manager of the Season accolade to Charlton's Nathan Jobi McAnuff said: "If you're talking about who has overachieved this season you have to have Regis Le Bris up there because nobody would have had Sunderland getting promoted this season given the model of the club, such a young squad and a manager that was untested in this country. Sensational."The panel were in agreement on Sunderland being the team of the season, however, with McAnuff saying: "A young team, looked as though they had run their race, went on a really bad patch of form but regrouped, got themselves together and had a couple of iconic EFL moments down the stretch - Dan Ballard's last minute winner and Tommy Watson's finish in the final."Lyle Taylor added: "Let's go with Sunderland. They are back at the top table after eight years away and did it in a really interesting and alternative way."Click here to listen to the BBC's 72+ EFL podcast via BBC Sounds.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Sunderland have the emotional story'
Sunderland's dramatic play-off semi-final win over Coventry City will have given them belief they can beat Sheffield United in Saturday's Championship final, according to former Reading and Crystal Palace winger Jobi Black Cats scored a last-minute goal against the Sky Blues to secure a 3-2 aggregate win and McAnuff, who lost a Championship final with Reading in 2011 before winning promotion the following season, thinks that could strengthen their resolve."Sunderland have the emotional story, the euphoria of that last-minute goal from Dan Ballard," McAnuff told the BBC's EFL podcast 72+."That's hard to quantify because, on the balance of play, they weren't the better team over the two legs but they found a way to win so you're bringing that belief you can win a game regardless of how they played."Sunderland had considerably less possession than Coventry over the course of the semi-final including just 26% in their 2-1 victory in the first leg and McAnuff thinks it could be hard to beat the Blades if they play the same way at Wembley."I think Sunderland have shown the togetherness and belief to get through the semi-final - I just feel they need to keep the ball better so they're not doing as much work off the ball as they can be tough days if you're not seeing a lot of it."
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Tale of two headers: Drama at the Stadium of Light
The most dramatic finale imaginable."Pandemonium." That was Sky Sports summariser Jobi McAnuff's reaction as the Stadium of Light erupted when Dan Ballard's header crashed down off the crossbar and into the net to send Sunderland to 122 minutes of tense, gripping football, the Championship semi-final between Sunderland and Coventry City appeared to be headed for Cats boss Regis Le Bris admitted he was beginning to formalise a list of players to take his side's Ballard's stooping header, to draw the hosts level 1-1 on the night, put them 3-2 up on aggregate with just seconds remaining."I was just so determined, I can't remember what happened, it just happened like that - some feeling that," Ballard told Sky Sports immediately after the game."It's what dreams are made of really. The fans today were absolutely incredible."It was just feeling like it wasn't going to be our day and all the lads were desperate to try to give them something to celebrate."Team-mate Luke O'Nien said he was "lost for words"."Just looking around and what this man has done for this team. It's incredible," he it could have all been so different 30 minutes earlier. Having trailed 2-1 from the first leg, Coventry took the lead on the night through Ephron Mason-Clark with 14 minutes of normal time Sky Blues were on top and taking the game to their hosts as the minutes ticked down, with the fourth official's sign showing three minutes of time added with barely eight seconds left of those three minutes, Frank Lampard and every Coventry fan in the stadium thought they had done it. Tatsuhiro Sakamoto's excellent swinging ball found Haji Wright in space in the box, with the striker looking certain to USA international Wright, who scored 12 Championship goals this season, mistimed his header and the ball bounced agonisingly wide."That was the one," ex-Sky Blues keeper Steve Ogrizovic said on BBC were much improved in extra time, but the fact it was Ballard's header from a similar position that settled the match after such a costly miss will make it all the more heartbreaking for Coventry. 'We're not bitter but we were the better team' Coventry had almost 60% of the ball on the night as Lampard's side had 20 shots to Sunderland's Le Bris, who has now led Sunderland to a play-off final against Sheffield United in his first season at the club, conceded the visitors were the better team in normal time."It's really fantastic because this scenario was absolutely incredible," Le Bris told Sky Sports. "We were probably too nervous for the first part of the game."During extra time, we were good. We played our football and we just enjoy it now."For Coventry, it's a painful end to a season which has been on an upward trajectory since Lampard replaced Mark Robins in Chelsea and Everton boss Lampard took over with the club 17th in the Championship and led them to a fifth-place finish, winning 16 of his 29 league games in charge."If anyone watched the two games, we dominated at home, we made a mistake and they scored," Lampard told Sky Sports. "I think we dominated huge periods of this game [too]. We played, controlled and in the second half it was wave after wave."The players have given everything from where we've come from - 17th in the league in December and the players have been brilliant in the second half of the season."We're not bitter, and congratulations to Sunderland, but we were the better team over the two football matches and that's why they'll be so happy going to Wembley."
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Watford: 'Cleverley worked miracle in first half of season'
Former Watford winger Jobi McAnuff says the club's decision to sack head coach Tom Cleverley is "ridiculous". The Hornets were sixth and in play-off contention after a 2-1 win over Portsmouth on Boxing Day but fell away to finish 14th. "When you've got a squad as thin as theirs - there has been no investment, same as in the summer - he pulls out a miracle really in that first half of the season," McAnuff told Football Daily 72+: The EFL Podcast. "I think it's a classic case of a club believing they should be where they were in the league and he was overachieving, there's no two ways about it. Then they don't help him out in January. "The fans clearly are with him. If you'd said to Watford fans in terms of where they'd finish, everyone at that football club would have taken it at the start of the season given the lack of funds and resources. "It seems as though it's a club the owners have almost forgotten about a little bit and they're more interested in putting their money in some of the other businesses they run." But former Huddersfield Town defender Tommy Smith says just five wins in 24 games (D5 L14) and only 20 points after Boxing Day is what cost Cleverley his job. "I think he definitely did [a good job] pre-Christmas," Smith said. "They were in and around the play-offs, they looked like a team - certainly at home - that were in good shape. "But I think if you look at the drop-off they've had post-Christmas, it's not really surprising that he's lost his job - and I mean that from a Watford perspective. "I certainly don't think he's done a bad job but, as I say, the post-Christmas form has been ultimately the downfall."
