Latest news with #O'Neill's
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Northern Ireland must learn to be better with the ball to shock big teams, claims Isaac Price
The West Brom ace has been brilliant at international level for his country, scoring a bunch of goals, and he tends to hit the target in honest post-match assessments as well. Keeping the ball more in away games going forward was a key takeaway from the trip to Copenhagen for Michael O'Neill's players. Without the ball Northern Ireland worked extremely hard in their 2-1 friendly defeat against a Danish side that had the vast majority of play, but Price appreciates more is required moving forward when in possession. With O'Neill's young side starting their World Cup campaign away to Luxembourg and Germany, the match at Parken provided the team with food for thought knowing they are a much more capable outfit going forward than what they showed at the weekend. Quizzed on the possession factor, Price commented: 'The gaffer said about our possession after the match. I think because when you work so hard off the ball and you're chasing the game a lot, when you finally get the ball you've got to be good enough to keep it and manipulate the ball and buy fouls and get time for your team. 'That's definitely something we've got to work on, especially when we know we're going into the World Cup qualifiers where we're going to play top opposition like Germany. We've got to get better at keeping the ball.' Denmark made their possession and pressure count in the second half with Christian Eriksen netting the winning goal in the 67th minute. At that point Northern Ireland fans were fearing the Danes would pile it on as Sweden did in March on their way to a 5-1 triumph over O'Neill's team in Stockholm. In the first half the visitors had kept Denmark at arm's length until Gustav Isaksen's fine strike in injury time, which levelled Pierre-Emile Højbjerg's sixth minute own goal. Price said: 'We knew what they were going to be like. I think we had a pretty good game plan from the start and we dug in well but their quality shone through in the second half. 'It could have quite easily gone like it did in Sweden and gone three, four, five, but we dug in well and kept it at two. 'I think their equaliser killed us a little bit. We'd worked so hard for 45 minutes and we've got our goal, and to concede so late in the first half you're going into half-time on a little bit of a downer. 'It's a kick in the teeth really, but they've got quality players and unfortunately they beat us in the end.' If that was disappointing, ex-Everton and Standard Liege player Price was full of praise for team-mate Justin Devenny. The 21-year-old Crystal Palace midfielder started in a left wing back role and delivered an impressive performance. 'I thought Justin was outstanding,' said Price. 'He's playing a different position to what he normally plays. He's been asked to do a little bit of a different job and I thought defensively he was very good.' On Tuesday, Northern Ireland return to action at home to Iceland with Price only thinking about one outcome. 'It's definitely a game that we'll look to go and win,' he said. 'We want more of the ball and to show a little bit more quality when we have the ball. 'And it's at home and I think all the team knows how well we do at home. It gives everyone a little bit of an extra boost. So, yeah, we'll be going into that game hoping to win.'
Belfast Telegraph
4 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Michael O'Neill ready for NI's next generation to take another step against old foes Denmark
They have largely continued to fly high since, with the ultimate aim to soar all the way to America, Canada and Mexico for next year's World Cup Finals. The latest stop on the journey sees O'Neill's young guns come face to face with Denmark again – on Saturday evening – this time in Copenhagen at Parken. Prior to beating the Danes 2-0 in Belfast in the last game of the Euro 2024 qualifiers, Northern Ireland had suffered a disappointing campaign. Goals from Isaac Price and Dion Charles provided the Green and White Army with hope that all was not lost and since then that optimism has grown with further impressive results and performances plus success in winning a Nations League group. Exciting players like Price, Conor Bradley, Trai Hume, Shea Charles, Pierce Charles and Brodie Spencer have Northern Ireland fans daring to dream again that under O'Neill's management another major tournament is a distinct possibility. The match with Denmark will be the third of four warm-up games this year – with Iceland at Windsor Park on Tuesday – for the World Cup qualifiers which start in September with a double header away to Luxembourg and Germany. In the previous two friendlies in March, Northern Ireland drew 1-1 at home to Switzerland and, weakened by injuries, were ripped apart in Sweden in a 5-1 loss. Given the strength of the Danish side, the game in Copenhagen promises to be a tough test too, though having the likes of Bradley, Hume and Daniel Ballard available for this Scandinavian challenge will help. On what he is expecting, O'Neill said: 'Any nation when they play at home wants to put on a show. You can see in the squad that Denmark have picked they are obviously taking the game very seriously. 'They have players that play in the top leagues and players who are trying to establish themselves in this squad. They will be keen to show they are ready to start big games. 'This is as tough a test as we can expect to get. I felt this game was as close as we could get to possibly playing Germany in September away. That game is in Cologne which is a very similar stadium so it will give us the best preparation possible.' Asked if he was fearful of the game being as difficult as the one in Sweden, O'Neill stated: 'There's no point playing teams you will beat all the time. You won't get any better if you do that. 'We are a Pot 3 team, so if we are going to qualify for a tournament we will have to get results that people don't expect and we have to find a way to deal with teams in Pot 1, which Denmark have consistently been. The result is always important but this is preparation for September. 'We talked about the Sweden game and we were very young on the night and the result was a little bit harsh on us, but that is what international football can do. It can be harsh on you. The important thing is if we go through difficult moments against Denmark we are able to stay in the game and find a way back into the game.' Reflecting on the last match with the Danes, which was a launchpad for his youthful side, O'Neill declared: 'We came off a bad, a disappointing result in Finland (a 4-0 defeat) and the most important thing was we got a good reaction. 'It was a very disciplined performance that came with two very good goals. We counter-attacked extremely well and limited Denmark to very few opportunities in the game. 'They maybe look at the game and say that they had already qualified (for Euro 2024) at that point in time, but for us it was about taking a step forward and that's what we managed to do. 'We took that step forward into the games in March (2024 drawing in Romania and winning in Scotland) and subsequently into the Nations League. 'It was an important game for us because it did set a trigger a confidence in a group of players that, until that point, hadn't won a lot of games at international level. 'Subsequently, I think in the last 13 international games we've been beaten by Spain, Sweden and Bulgaria all away from home. 'There's been a lot of progression, a lot of learnings in that period from the group of players. 'But we've still got a long way to go. The time to judge an international footballer really in terms of the level that you get to is probably 24-25. 'Some players don't even get the opportunity to play international football until they're 24-25. By the time this group of players hits that age group, I'm hoping that if the progression continues, we'll have an experienced team that will come here even better prepared than we will be on Saturday night.' Out of the 26 players originally selected for the June internationals, only Paddy McNair is out after picking up an injury in the four day Marbella training camp. It means the only player in his 30s left in the squad is George Saville. O'Neill added: 'It's a friendly game. They've got nothing to fear from this type of game and we'll have to go and play. I think that this is a good opportunity for our players.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Exposing players to 'higher level' key for NI
International Friendly: Denmark v Northern Ireland Venue: Parken Stadium, Copenhagen Date: Saturday, 7 June Kick-off: 18:00 BST Coverage: Watch live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two NI; listen on BBC Sounds and follow live text commentary & in-play clips on the BBC Sport website Advertisement Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill says Saturday's friendly against Denmark is about exposing his young squad to a higher level of opposition before the start of the World Cup qualifiers in September. Northern Ireland face the Danes in Copenhagen at 18:00 BST and then host Iceland at Windsor Park on Tuesday with a 19:45 kick-off. O'Neill's side have lost just three of their past 13 internationals in recent years and gained promotion to League B in the Nations League but the NI boss knows the prospect of facing Denmark represents a step up in class. Northern Ireland will face Germany, Slovakia and Luxembourg in their World Cup qualifying group in the autumn. Advertisement "Denmark are a tough team, a pot one team," said O'Neill after guiding his squad through a training camp in Marbella ahead of the double-header. "We open in September away to Luxembourg and then we're away to Germany, so it's about exposure for the players, exposure to the levels of international football, and stepping up that exposure from what we faced in the Nations League to what we're going to face coming into the World Cup." O'Neill's charges lost 1-0 to Denmark in Euro 2024 qualifying in June 2023 but exacted revenge with a 2-0 win over the Danes in Belfast five months later. Denmark head coach Brian Riemer took up the reins of the team in October last year and the team have won only one of their past six matches. Advertisement "We're away from home, the onus will be on them. They have a new coach who is only four games in. That'll be something they will be adapting to, a slightly different style of play - quite aggressive with how they want to press the game, so we have to deal with that," said O'Neill. "When we beat them at home we scored two great goals on the counter-attack and we'll have to play again on that basis. "It's a test. This is a very young squad. We have 50% of the squad that are 21 and under, and some of the players who are a little older than that are just starting out on their international journey as well." Isaac Price was on target in Northern Ireland's 2-0 win over Denmark in November 2023 [Getty Images] 'Instilling belief into the group' O'Neill believes his players should go into games against high calibre opposition with confidence. Advertisement "They will see the game at the highest level of international football but we have to go there with the belief that we can get a result. "That's what we have to instil in the group of players as we come into a World Cup qualifying with six games where there's not a lot of room for error, certainly when you have a team like Germany who typically dominate their group. "We have to get across the belief to the players that those are the sort of games we can get something from." O'Neill explained that June fixtures were the "most challenging" on the international calendar with some members of the squad having finished their seasons in early May and others a lot more recently. Advertisement "The players were all at different stages in the first two days but we're pleased with the work that they've done. "We didn't have any withdrawals from the initial squad that we named so we're in decent shape bar one or two little niggles that we've had to manage. "The key is to get as much as we can out of the two games."
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mitchells & Butlers reports revenue of £1.45bn for HY2025
Managed restaurants and pubs operator Mitchells & Butlers, which operates establishments such as O'Neill's, Harvester and Toby Carvery, has reported half-year 2025 (the second half of the fiscal year, or HY2025) revenue of £1.45bn compared to £1.39bn in HY2024. During the 28 weeks ended 12 April 2025, operating profit stood at £181m against £164m in the same period of the previous year. It expects to see costs increase by £130m, attributing this to labour cost hikes and anticipated food price surges, particularly of meat. The company's current year cost forecast of a £100m increase remains steady, with the surge primarily attributed to rises in the National Living Wage and employer National Insurance contributions (NICs) that will affect the latter half of the year. In its half-year results, Mitchells & Butlers showcased a trading performance, with pre-tax profits climbing 24% to £134m for the 28 weeks ending 12 April 2025. Spring 2025 saw a 6% uplift in like-for-like sales, bolstered by Easter and Mother's Day, with drinks sales outperforming food sales, rising 5.1% compared to 3.6%. The company also reported an improved operating margin of 12.4%, up from 11.7%. Mitchells & Butlers CEO Phil Urban stated: 'The strength of our first half performance is driven by continued focus on maximising the guest appeal of our diverse portfolio of brands to drive sales, supported by efficiency initiatives delivered through our Ignite programme of work. We are delighted with the like-for-like sales performance, which continues to outperform against the market. 'As we enter the second half of the year, with increased employer National Insurance contributions, we remain focused on the effective delivery of our Ignite programme of initiatives and our capital investment programme, driving further cost efficiencies and increased sales.' "Mitchells & Butlers reports revenue of £1.45bn for HY2025" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Review: Was Charles Manson Carrying Out a CIA Experiment? (opinion)
One of America's more famous documentarians, Errol Morris, was intrigued by Tom O'Neill's Chaos, a 2019 book delving into the mysteries around the murders committed in 1969 by people associated with the hippie cult leader Charles Manson. In a new Netflix feature documentary exploring O'Neill's theories and findings, Morris shows his work, and we hear him telling O'Neill on camera he isn't quite buying the story O'Neill is selling. Partly because of his connections to the Haight Ashbury Free Medical Clinic, which was haunted by CIA-associated mind control researcher Louis Jolyon West, and partly because of the mysterious leniency in how the legal system treated Manson before he was eventually arrested for the murders, O'Neill thinks it likely Manson was either a confidential informant and thus under the law's protection to some extent, or carrying out a CIA-planned experiment using something like West's techniques to turn his "Family" into mind-controlled murderers. O'Neill certainly provides fodder for both theses, the first seeming more likely if only because it's less baroquely sinister. But alternate explanations require a differently cynical view about government than O'Neill's evil one: that perhaps California law enforcement was lazy and incompetent, or that West's claims about his experimental brainwashing powers were exaggerated to keep the CIA money flowing. The facts that Manson did eventually face justice and life in prison and never hinted at any of this, and that the world does not seem crawling with people with this brainwash-to-murder power, indicates that some skepticism about O'Neill's thesis is warranted. But he presents it with dogged research powers—and a fair assessment of what he has and has not proven. The post Review: Was Charles Manson Carrying Out a CIA Experiment? appeared first on
