Latest news with #MilkCup
The Guardian
08-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Leicester City and a sorry run of results that takes us back to 1977
Back in early November, Manchester United had sacked Erik ten Hag but were waiting for his permanent replacement, Ruben Amorim, to fly in from Portugal. In stepped Ruud van Nistelrooy, a club legend with a promising managerial pedigree, to deliver some interim magic. It worked surprisingly well: while Amorim was clearing his desk at Sporting, Van Nistelrooy went unbeaten in four home games across three competitions. In a further twist, Ruud's reward for bringing a few feelgood vibes to the husk of Old Trafford was a one-way ticket through Carrington's overcrowded door marked Do One. An important caveat for Ruud's unbeaten run is that half of the games were against Leicester, who were beaten 5-2 in Milk Cup by United and 3-0 in the Premier League. It contributed to the departure of Steve Cooper, who had kept the Foxes above water but turned fans off with his conservative football and whiff of Nottingham Forest. But who to replace him? Perhaps a dashing Dutchman seen wandering towards Manchester airport. If Van Nistelrooy could beat this Leicester side so comprehensively, not once but twice, he must be good. Leicester's new manager started off well with four points from two home games, but a trip to Newcastle in mid-December delivered a 4-0 defeat. That began a run of seven straight league losses, home fans quickly turning on Po' Ruud as Leicester crashed into the bottom three. The Foxes enjoyed a b@ntorious win at Tottenham but Bilal El Khannous' winner that day (26 January) was their last Premier League goal. It's now April, with Leicester since racking up eight scoreless league defeats in a row, conceding 21 goals in the process. Newcastle started the slide towards the trapdoor and may have bolted it shut on Monday, winning 3-0 in a contest with all the intensity of a Sunday afternoon post-roast kickabout. Despite earning an early corner, Leicester still managed to go behind after two minutes, before Fabian Schär showed the Baller League a thing or two with a long-range crossbar assist for Jacob Murphy, who benefited as the entire home defence simply stood and watched on. So, while Amorim gets a natty retro hoodie to wear on the touchline (Big Sir Jim knocking 20% off as a goodwill gesture) and a soft-rock inspired terrace chant, all Po' Ruud has are unwanted records – the longest run of league defeats without scoring since 1977, zero home league goals in five months. After Monday's mismatch, Van Nistelrooy appeared ready to walk before, like Ivan Juric at Southampton, he is pushed out of the exit door when relegation is confirmed. 'The most important thing is the club and these players,' Ruud muttered when asked about his future, before zipping up a holdall and firing up the online check-in app. Whether he is still there or not, Leicester will surely already be down by 3 May when they face Southampton at home – a chance for both sets of owners to stand up and take accountability for dreadful seasons, which Football Daily is confident they'll take. Still, with the gulf between England's top two divisions only growing, don't be surprised if both teams are cruising back towards the Premier League in a year's time, having failed to learn a single thing. Simon Burnton will helm our piping hot coverage of Belgium 1-2 England in the Women's Nations League, with kick-off from 7.30pm (all times BST). Oh, and you might have heard that there's also Bigger Cup tonight. Rob Smyth is in position for Arsenal 1-3 Real Madrid, while Niall McVeigh will take on Bayern 1-1 Internazionale, with both kick-offs at 8pm. I was coaching from 18-19 years old and nobody knew. I did things so under the radar that people at the FA didn't even know' – Jo Potter, Rangers Women's head coach and former England international, talks to Sophie Downey about her own development, the need for Scotland to do well and winning silverware in the latest edition of Moving the Goalposts. Regarding yesterday's news that Brazilian authorities now deem standing on a ball to be a yellow card offence, it just shows how ahead of the game Uefa were. Wayne Rooney famously got a red card for this in 2006. But then he did stand on two of them at once' – Derek McGee. I was reading the Leicester v Newcastle live blog when I thought of a joke. May I test it with your readers? I figure they, I mean we, are well used to dodgy attempts at comedy. The Newcastle and Leicester managers walk into a bar, leaving the door open behind them. The bartender looks up and says 'Howe, Ruud!'' – Peter Oh. Martin Ødegaard needs to be aware of an imposter on the Arsenal bench who sounds a bit like him (yesterday's Football Daily). I had to press and hold the O on my iPhone to get that special Norwegian Ø you know' – Brian Wealthall (and 1,056 others). Send letters to Today's letter o' the day winner is … Peter Oh, who wins a copy of Groundhopper, by Pitch Publishing. Visit their bookshop here. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here. Fan protests, football influencers and topless Glazers: yep, it's David Squires. We've all heard about Farmer's Leagues, but how about a farmer club? In an apparent rebrand of the term 'feeder club', new Norwegian top-flight side Bryne FK are embracing their agricultural roots. We reported last week that Bryne's goalkeeper, Jan De Boer, received four trays of locally-sourced eggs as his player of the match award in their first home game and it has now emerged the 24-year-old has been using his prize to cook a Dutch omelette for his Norwegian teammates (the remaining eggs were given to a teammate who had lent him his car to pick up his girlfriend from the airport). Best known as the home of Erling Haaland's first club, Bryne has a population of around 13,000, surrounded by farmland and situated 30 minutes away from Stavanger, Norway's third-largest city. 'Our goal is to forge a farmers' identity and instil pride in both the club and the region,' roared Bryne's marketing suit Bjørn Hagerup Røken. 'Our supporters' union has always celebrated our agricultural roots in their chants, so honouring our heritage holds deep significance for us.' VIP tickets at home games at their 5,000-capacity stadium include a plush sofa hoisted up by tractors and grain silos, used to store winter feed for livestock, which have been rebuilt with platforms for VAR cameras, while one side of the stadium is a large open square where supporters can drive in and park their tractors to watch the game. Bereaved families have urged ministers to introduce the Hillsborough law in full, according to a new report, as Labour admitted that a promise to bring legislation to parliament by the 36th anniversary of the disaster would be broken. A man has been charged with assault for allegedly slapping Jack Grealish at Old Trafford after last weekend's Manchester derby. Lucas Paquetá's career remains in limbo. The West Ham attacking midfielder's hearing over spot-fixing charges has been adjourned and will not resume until June. Manchester United have their eye on a new shiny toy: Ipswich's Liam Delap, and he'll cost around £40m. According to Sarina Wiegman, England want revenge … on themselves. She wants her side to show how much they've improved over the last year and a half when they take on Belgium in Leuven later. Bukayo Saka feels 'fresh mentally' after a period on the sidelines and is ready for Arsenal's crack at Bigger Cup glory against Real Madrid. And Thibaut Courtois has revealed Madrid's wariness of the Gunners' lethal weapon: set-piece havoc. It's taken us 69,325 games to get here, but the quarter-finals of Bigger Cup are finally upon us. Ben McAleer tells how they're going to go. Born in Chile, shaped by poverty and hard graft, prolific inside forward George Robledo still holds a scoring record unbroken to this day. Spencer Vignes profiles the Newcastle great. 'I am also a child of Italian football. My school was called AC Milan,' writes Football Daily's colleague, Philipp Lahm. But we've got yet harangued him by the water-cooler, so click here to learn why he thinks Serie A needs a reboot. Real Madrid's fabled ability to find a way to win has become a self-fulfilling prophesy, but can they really get away with it again? Sid Lowe considers. And Fifa has used USA USA USA soccer as a cash cow, says Leander Schaerlaeckens, and given back little in return. 21 February 2006: Arsenal beat Real Madrid 1-0 on aggregate in the only Champions League knockout tie between the clubs before this evening's. Entertainment's Thomas Gravesen played for Madrid in the first leg at the Bernabéu. Heady days, indeed.
BBC News
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
🎧Scrimmage Daily: April Fools
Did you get caught out by a football-based April Fools' joke today?Chris Goreham and Rob Butler bring you some classic pranks, including the time a Milk Cup winner said the Wembley final would have to be to The Scrimmage podcast on BBC Sounds.
Associated Press
24-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
THE MILK CUP RETURNS IN 2025, EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN IN ESPORTS
$300,000 Prize Pool, New Duos Format, and The Milk Cup Academy to Support and Elevate Women Gamers LOS ANGELES, March 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Milk Cup, one of the most-watched women's esports tournaments, is set to return in 2025 with a larger prize pool, a revamped competition format, and an expanded commitment to supporting women in gaming. With over 60% of last year's competitors entering their first-ever tournament, The Milk Cup is dedicated to providing more women with the tools, resources, and opportunities needed to thrive in competitive gaming. 'We are thrilled to bring back The Milk Cup in 2025, reinforcing our deep commitment to the female gaming community and continuing to solidify milk's place as The Performance Drink of Gamers,' says MilkPEP Senior Marketing Manager, Jen Grubb. 'Designed in collaboration with women gamers, The Milk Cup is more than just a competition—it's an opportunity to celebrate, support, and elevate women. This year, we're proud to expand our impact with The Milk Cup Academy, providing amateur gamers with access to education, mentorship, and a supportive community to help level up their skills and advance their journey toward professional gaming, all fueled by milk.' Milk is changing the game… again. The Milk Cup 2025 will introduce several major enhancements, including: A $300,000 Prize Pool – Increased from $250,000 to elevate competition and reward top talent. New Duos Format – A strategic shift to two person team-based play, creating more opportunities for players to collaborate and compete based on feedback from our community. Expanded Pathways to Qualify – Three major Series qualifier events in April, June, and August, each leading to the Finals. The Milk Cup Academy – A groundbreaking training and mentorship program designed to develop and empower women gamers through coaching, skill-building, and competitive experience. Live Broadcasts on Gonna Need Milk's Twitch channel – Bringing the action to a wider audience and increasing visibility for women in esports. Powered by Real Nutrition – Milk Milk provides the nutritional foundation for optimal gaming performance, with 13 essential nutrients, including high-quality protein, calcium, zinc, selenium and vitamins B12 and D. These nutrients are important for brain health and can help support focus, plus protein and B vitamins help provide sustained energy during long gaming sessions. Lactose free milk provides the same benefits, just without the lactose. Introducing The Milk Cup Academy: Training, Mentorship, and Community This year, Milk will also debut The Milk Cup Academy - a new Fortnite training program designed to provide women the resources and opportunities needed to succeed in esports, including: Expert Coaching from top gaming professionals including ThePeachCobbler, a renowned figure in the esports community, alongside other top gaming experts Competitive Training & Scrims to sharpen skills in real-time play. Wellness & Performance Support to help players stay focused and prepared. Exclusive Prize Opportunities for Academy participants to earn rewards while developing their game. 'The Milk Cup Academy is a game-changer,' said Fortnite streamer and mentor ThePeachCobbler. 'So many talented women just need the right guidance and opportunity. This program gives them both.' Expanding Opportunities for Women in Esports Created by women gamers, for women gamers, The Milk Cup creates more opportunities for women in esports. The tournament is supported by: ThePeachCobbler – Top Fortnite streamer and Co-Founder of The Milk Cup. RaidiantGG – An all-women production team ensuring high-quality event coverage. Moonrock - program advisors across partners and sponsorships. These partnerships underscore a shared commitment to providing more opportunities to women in the gaming industry, both as competitors and behind the scenes. How to Get Involved Registration for The Milk Cup 2025 is open now. Players of all skill levels are encouraged to sign up and compete for their chance to make esports history. The Milk Cup is back. Are you ready to join? About MilkPEP The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), based in Washington, D.C., is funded by America's milk companies and is dedicated to educating consumers about the benefits of real milk. Learn more at
BBC News
24-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Bruce recalls 'great feeling' of semi-final goal
Steve Bruce has reminisced over the "great feeling" of scoring the winning goal for Norwich City in the League Cup semi-final tie against rivals Ipswich Town 40 years header in the 87th minute made it 2-0 to the Canaries on 6 March, 1985 at Carrow Road and 2-1 on effort helped take the club to Wembley en-route to winning what was then named the Milk Cup by beating Sunderland 1-0 in the final."I'd only been there myself five or six months after a pretty dismal start when I had an own goal after 30 seconds on my debut," Bruce told BBC Radio Norfolk's The Scrimmage podcast."Six months later, you're scoring the winner that takes the club to Wembley and of course, we all know what went on after that."It was a really good time for everybody." You can listen to The Milk Cup Men - an hour-long special episode of The Scrimmage podcast featuring Steve Bruce - on BBC Radio Norfolk at 18:00 GMT on 24 March.
The Guardian
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
A final that meant more to Newcastle and their celebrity fans
Considering how long it took them to finally get their hands on some domestic silverware after a 70-year pause, in the end it was remarkably easy for Newcastle United. While the supercilious slogan 'this means more' is more readily associated with Liverpool Football Club, prevailing in Fizzy Cup on Sunday clearly meant an awful lot more to Eddie Howe, his players and the travelling Toon Army. Yes, they finally rid their club of the giant baboon on its back on an afternoon when the ever present and significantly larger and autocratic elephant in the room went largely unaddressed. While Liverpool's failure to 'turn up' was regularly trotted out in the televised post-mortems, they actually made it to the Wembley door only to discover their names weren't down so they couldn't get into the contest. Completely unable to impose their game on a rampant Newcastle because they weren't allowed to, they were blessed even to still be in with a scarcely audible shout during that apparent eternity the Geordies were forced to spend watching their players run down the clock in one corner of Wembley. 'Newcastle didn't just win, they battered Liverpool, it should have been three or four-nil,' admitted the notorious bastion of impartiality that is Jamie Carragher in the aftermath. 'Newcastle are a good Premier League team but they've wiped the floor with them today.' An unapologetically sodden, fizz-drenched mess from head to toe by the time he addressed the ladies and gentlemen of the Fourth Estate in his post-match press conference, Howe has certainly come a long way since ensuring Bournemouth's Football League survival on the penultimate day of the 2008-09 season. And while Newcastle's victory may have been secured by the players on the pitch, it was their celebrity fans with whom the match's TV director seemed most enamoured. On a day when a camera cutaway caught the vision in tweed that was Hugh Grant politely applauding a Rodrigo Muniz strike at Craven Cottage, his Geordie counterparts Ant & Dec showed no such reticence when it came to their wild celebrations. The subjects of more screen time yesterday than is usually afforded to them in one of their own TV shows, we can only surmise whether their controversial decision to adopt a revolutionary and rigid Dec & Ant formation throughout the game helped mess with the minds of Liverpool's players. 'This is the best day of my life,' said Dec, in a post-match SnapTok video, before remembering to dutifully add 'apart from the wedding and the kids and all that.' While the obligatory caveat may well have been sincere, it was difficult to avoid the conclusion that for him and the other tens of thousands of Geordies present at Wembley, winning the Milk Cup meant so much more. People have always doubted me. My mental strength is something that I've always believed in. This is just another setback and it is not going to stop me' – West Ham striker Michail Antonio is staying positive after the horrendous car crash that left him with a shattered femur and says he is '100%' sure he will play again. Thomas Tuchel reminds Colin Reed (letters 14.3) of Edvard Munch's 'The Scream'. Certainly, this doppelgänger effect will be stronger the longer he is in the job. Tuchel's artistry indeed knows no bounds - he also bears an uncanny resemblance to Alberto Giacometti's 'walking man'' – Jim Arrowsmith. So Uefa is to ask Ifab and Fifa for a review of the double-touch rule on penalty kicks. Do these people have no compassion? Don't they know that Ifab spends its time not reviewing absurd offside calls, introducing meaningless changes to the kick-off, and not introducing sin bins and independent timekeepers? How are they supposed to review this problem if they can't even decide whether it's better not to enforce a six-second rule or not to enforce an eight-second rule for goalkeepers? I have a personal interest in this: as a 10-year-old I was penalised for an accidental double-touch when taking a corner. It had a devastating effect on my subsequent career' – James Wilkinson. Given that Thomas Tuchel has been 'missing the smell of the grass', can I suggest that he rides a bike around South London in between international breaks. He'll soon be in the thick of it' – Andrew Parker. Does the return of Jordan Henderson to the England squad also signal a possible return for the much-missed stalwart Morris Dancing Fiver?' – David Maddock (and no others). Send letters to Today's prizeless letter o' the day winner is … Jim Arrowsmith. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here. It's the latest Football Weekly podcast on the Fizzy Cup final, Premier League and, uh-oh, international fortnight. Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White has been added to Thomas Tuchel's first England squad after Cole Palmer was ruled out with unspecified knack. Bournemouth's teenage defender Dean Huijsen has been called up by Spain (yes, we thought he was Dutch, too) after Barcelona's Inigo Martínez suffered hamstring-twang before their Nations League quarter-final against the country of Huijsen's birth, the Netherlands. Rasmus Højlund has scored a goal. Crystal Palace have given themselves a fighting chance of survival in the WSL after beating second-bottom Aston Villa 3-1 to cut the gap to just one point. Ange Postecoglou took Spurs' 2-0 defeat at Fulham well, going off on one afterwards about how no one cares when refereeing decisions go against his team. 'I don't think there's ever any noise around us and decisions,' he sighed. 'We get one slightly in our favour and there's national headlines for a week.' And Virgil Van Dijk has told his shattered Liverpool teammates to get their collective chins up and target five more wins to seal the league title. 'The [Bigger Cup] we couldn't get it done, this [Rumbelows Cup] we lost and the FA Cup, we got knocked out [at Plymouth]. We have nine games to go and I don't think there's any motivation needed to try to get the job done,' he roared. 'Bro I had no clue. I stayed down coz I was blowing.' That was Ruben Loftus-Cheek's conciliatory assessment of the tackle that led to Deli Alli's dismissal for Como against Milan on Saturday, sent to his opponent on WhatsApp, then shared online by the former Tottenham Hotspur and England midfielder. Even Kyle Walker, on loan at Milan from Manchester City, appeared to plead his former teammate's case on the pitch, with Alli just eight minutes into a long-awaited comeback. Nothing to see here? Cesc Fabregas, Como manager, was having none of it. 'It is a grave mistake,' he said. 'A clear red card … he left the team down to 10 during a crucial moment.' Alli's comeback can only improve from here. Relentless Newcastle can fashion a new identity after beating Liverpool in the Milk Cup final, says Jonathan Liew. Dan Burn – Wembley hero. Barney Ronay on how the only locally born starter for either side granted Newcastle their slice of history. Liverpool will almost certainly win the Premier League but there are welcome signs that talent in England may be becoming more dispersed, reckons Jonathan Wilson. Premier League talking points from the weekend's action. Only eight this time - blame the fixture list, not us. A Chelsea win at Wembley and a revolution continuing at Liverpool form part of our weekend review of the Women's League Cup final and WSL. Andy Brassell reports on another late, late show from Bayer Leverkusen's Mr Stoppage Time. Inter's latest win over Serie A title rivals Atalanta has Simone Inzaghi aiming for the stars, writes Nicky Bandini. And here's Jacob Steinberg on how Enzo Maresca's approach at Chelsea is stifling talent. Isn't that right, Jadon? 22 January 1949: Young fans look pensive as they watch Barnsley v QPR at Oakwell. It's not clear which team they are supporting (probably the Tykes given they'd be a long way from London otherwise) but the home side went on to win 4-0 in the Second Division match. That rattle looks like it could do some damage if not used with care.
