Latest news with #PeterShilton
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Gary Lineker: I'm to blame for England's Italia 90-penalty defeat
Gary Lineker has shouldered the blame for England's Italia 90-penalty defeat to West Germany in 1990 after revealing that he handed goalkeeper Peter Shilton the wrong tactics. Shilton, now 75, failed to save any of the penalties in the World Cup semi-final clash in Turin after former striker Lineker told him to stand still, leading West Germany to win the shoot-out at 4-3 to reach the World Cup final. Lineker, who scored the equaliser that saw the clash end 1-1 after extra time, admitted he had advised Shilton that German players were likely to shoot the ball straight down the middle at least twice during the shoot-out. Shilton, England's most-capped player with 125 caps, was left diving late. Speaking about the penalty defeat on the What Did You Do Yesterday? podcast, Lineker said: 'That was my fault. Because I roomed with Peter Shilton, and we kept watching these penalty shoot-outs, because they were quite a new thing back then. 'I said to him, there's always two penalties straight down the middle. If the keeper just stands, he's going to save two, for sure. 'And so that was the plan. So that's why he went the right way on every penalty, but every penalty they stuck in the corner. I was to blame.' Lineker hosted his final episode of BBC's Match of the Day on May 26, having taken on the role in 1999. He broke down in tears at tributes from various famous faces and his family to his career on the show. After 25 years in the presenter's chair, he left the corporation 14 months early after coming under fire for sharing a pro-Palestine video that featured an illustration of a rat, an image used by the Nazis as a slur against Jewish people. Lineker later apologised for reposting the picture. He thanked viewers, telling them: 'Let me take the opportunity to thank all the other pundits I've had the pleasure of working with over the last 25 years. You've made my job so much easier. 'Also, thanks to all those you don't see at home. The work that goes into making this iconic show is a huge team effort. From the editors to the analysis team, from the commentators to the floor managers, from the producers to the camera operators, from the PAs to the subs. 'Thank you all, you're the very best. Everyone else did all the hard work and I got the plaudits. It's been an absolute privilege to host Match of the Day for a quarter of a century. It's been utterly joyous.'
The Sun
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I'm a mum-of-six who blew benefits on secret £150-a-day scratchcard addiction – no one had idea about my reckless habit
OPENING my purse, I stared at the crisp £10 note – the last of my week's benefits to support our family of eight. Most people would have felt a wave of panic, but I was gripped by a familiar adrenalin surge as I dashed in to the corner shop and exchanged it for scratchcards. 5 To an outsider, it might have looked reckless, even selfish, to gamble away the last of my Universal Credit. But the truth is, I'd been doing it for 20 years. Worse still, my secret compulsion — hidden from everyone I loved, including my husband — was costing me an unbelievable £150 a week. Now, as I celebrate one year free from a scratchcard addiction that nearly tore my family apart, it's hard to believe it all began with a single £1 card back in 2005, when I was just 25. The brightly coloured tickets had always stood out to me as I queued at the tills, and I'd wondered what I might win if I bought one. Handing over the cash on that run-of-the-mill day, when curiosity just happened to get the better of me, I felt excited to have one of the £1 cards in my hand. I started scratching away, dreaming of the £100,000 jackpot, and couldn't believe it when I saw that I had won £20. I was ecstatic and immediately bought 20 more cards of the same kind. But, to my dismay, I didn't win a penny on any of them. Without realising it, I was already hooked. I'd felt so elated, it was a massive buzz — and I wanted that again. I started obsessing over what I'd do with the money when I won big. I daydreamed about buying my two boys — the eldest of the six I have now, currently aged 28 and 23, the treats they begged for. S Club 7's Jo O'Meara and England football legend Peter Shilton speak about their gambling addiction I was on benefits back then, as I'd been a full-time mum since I'd had my first baby aged 17. My husband Michael, now 52 and a furniture maker, was unemployed. We didn't have much money and the idea of a lucky break was so tempting. So the following day, I found myself heading back to the shop to buy my next card — and it became a daily habit. Every time I clutched one in my hand, I felt exhilarated and thought this would be our chance to have a better life. 'Sobbed for hours and finally confessed' Despite then having sons aged 13 and eight to raise, I continued to chase the jackpot by spending £5 a day on tickets. But within three months, that had doubled to £10 a day — all at the same corner shop. If I got lucky, I'd go straight back to the cashier with my winnings to buy more cards. No one had any idea about my habit. I knew it wasn't healthy, but it never occurred to me how much I was actually spending. I was addicted to the thrill as I would get a win roughly three times a week, usually only £10 or so. After a couple of months, I scooped £100 — my biggest amount to date — but I spent the lot on more scratchcards. When I walked in to the shop, the cashier would say: 'Here for your cards?' My destructive behaviour went on for 16 years, which sounds incredible to me now, but is sadly not unusual. As a mum, it was my outlet for stress, my secret. I always made sure I kept back the £70 I needed for the week from my benefits. Deep down, I was ashamed and couldn't bring myself to admit to Michael what I was doing — and I'd make sure to toss the cards away in public bins before I went home. This destructive behaviour went on for 16 years, which sounds incredible to me now. But sadly, it is not unusual. Women typically mask gambling addictions for seven years, according to charity Gamble Aware. In December 2021, things suddenly intensified when I won £500 on a £5 scratchcard. This time, I didn't plough it all into more tickets, though. Instead, I used it to buy my Christmas shopping, as I was a mum to five children by then. Normally, I couldn't afford to buy them presents, but that year I handed them the Smyths Toys catalogue and let them take their pick. I had used scratchcards every day during each of my pregnancies, and bought them as soon as I was fit enough to get out of the house after each birth. And I was so happy that it seemed to have paid off, and that I could finally buy the kids the £70 toys they wanted. On Christmas morning, they grinned from ear to ear as they ripped open computer tablets, Barbie houses and talking dolls. I felt so proud to have been able to give them what they deserved — but that merely served as a catalyst for more gambling. In fact, from that moment on, I was at the shops buying as many scratchcards as I could afford on benefits. I got £700 a month in Universal Credit, and would set aside as little as possible for my weekly food shops and bills — so that everything else could fund my gambling habit. 5 My family were my priority - if I ran out of money and my husband didn't have any I'd sell my stuff to buy cards. Now I'm free from scratchcards, I'd say you shouldn't use benefit money to buy them, but in addiction it warps your mind. I was buying from several places now, not just the corner shop, and I didn't realise how many scratchcards I was snapping up. I'd also never made a conscious decision to use my benefit money. I was just hooked. If I ran out of cash, I'd ask Michael, who was working by then, for some — lying to him that it was for food. He never questioned it. He'd just place a note in my hand and I'd run to the shop to bulk buy scratchcards. At the time, I didn't feel bad. When it's an addiction, you don't think like that. I feel so guilty about it now. I wish I had told him sooner. In 2023, when I won another £500, my spending shot up from £50 to £150 a day. I was chasing my tail, determined to get a jackpot of a million quid. I really felt that what I was doing was for the benefit of my family, and I was spending around 30 minutes each day walking to at least three shops to hide my addiction. Then, one day at the end of May last year, reality hit. I had gone on my usual scratchcard jaunt, splurging £50 on £5 cards in one newsagent. I forked out £50 more, and won £20, but then I went to another corner shop and lost the lot. My heart sank when I realised that was £120 gone in a heartbeat. And suddenly, I knew that I couldn't keep doing this. 5 5 I totalled up my spending on gambling and realised that, over 20 years, I'd thrown roughly £98,500 at my card addiction. We live in a rented house — that money could have been put towards a deposit to buy our dream home. Instead, it was gone. I sobbed for hours. That day, after pulling myself together, I finally confessed my addiction to Michael. He was shocked by how much I'd spent on scratchcards, but he wasn't angry and he didn't shout. He told me he wished I hadn't kept it a secret for so long. He just looked deflated. His reaction was a reminder of why I love him so much. After the shock had subsided, we made a plan to kick my habit for good. I went cold turkey, cutting scratch cards out completely, making sure I never ventured out alone so I didn't get the urge to buy any. HOW TO TACKLE A GAMBLING ADDICTION IN FIVE STEPS MARIE'S story shows how quickly buying 'just one more' scratch card can spiral into a devastating habit. If you're struggling with gambling, here are TV psychologist Emma Kenny's five steps to help. ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM Recognise your behaviour for what it is and admit that it's become harmful. Acceptance is key before real change can happen SEEK SUPPORT Confiding in someone you trust can bring immense relief. Friends, family, or even online support groups offer practical help and reduce feelings of isolation, just like Marie opening up to her husband. SET FIRM BOUNDARIES Limit your access to tempting situations by avoiding gambling environments or going shopping with a companion. Marie stopped going out alone initially, removing the chance to secretly buy scratch cards. ESTABLISH FINANCIAL CONTROLS Hand over control of your finances or arrange automatic bill payments to minimise impulse spending. Tracking daily expenses can reveal the true cost of gambling and reinforce new habits. CONSIDER PROFESSIONAL HELP Contact dedicated hotlines, counsellors, or charities that specialise in gambling support. They can guide you with tailored strategies and provide accountability. Walking into a supermarket, I couldn't even glance in the direction of the counter where they were displayed. I had to be strict with myself. It took every bit of strength I had, but I never relapsed. Finally, after six months, the urge started to subside and I could go out alone again. I was able to walk into a newsagent, look at scratchcards and think, 'I don't miss you'. I've told the children who are old enough to understand, and they are so proud of me. Now, I have found an unusual way to keep my gambling urge at bay — by viewing videos on YouTube of other people losing money on scratchcards. Watching three or four a day reminds me how much I frittered away. It's heartbreaking to think that if I hadn't spent that money, and had saved it instead, I would effectively have won the jackpot I originally dreamed of — but I can't live off regret. What I can do is tell my story in the hope it helps others. Addiction isn't something to be ashamed of — and it IS possible to beat it. Just remember you're highly unlikely to land that big win — you won't even make your money back in the long term. All you're doing is chasing a dream.
BBC News
09-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Ending playing career is 'a bit scary'
Dean Lewington once admitted to being a bit of a footballing dinosaur."As you get older, especially the way modern football is going, over 30s are seen as prehistoric really," he said in the autumn of 2022 as he approached the 900th match of his just over a month away from his 41st birthday, time has finally caught up with the MK Dons defender, who will end his time as a player at the end of the Peter Shilton, Tony Ford, Graham Alexander and Terry Paine have played more senior games in English football than Lewington."It feels quite surreal. Beforehand 'retiring' is just a word, it sounds OK and then it dawned on me that I won't get to play football (any more), which is a little bit scary now that it's come to it," he told BBC Look East."It's been on my mind for maybe two years now and it's just the right time."I was in a Sunday league team at six, in an academy at eight, and I'm now about to turn 41, so three quarters of my life has been playing football. "My whole life will change and that part is unfortunately coming to an end." From Wimbledon to Milton Keynes Lewington played his first league game as an 18-year-old for the old Wimbledon FC against Sheffield Wednesday in April 2003, just a few months before the club relocated to Milton was a controversial decision by the InterMK consortium, headed by Pete Winkelman, and led to them being renamed MK Dons ahead of the 2004-05 season."The news about coming to Milton Keynes was circulating for a year or two, but it was still under the Wimbledon name so it was kind of a weird time," he said. "There was a lot of uncertainty and a lot of noise around the move because it had never happened before. It was a strange time but quite exciting for a young player. "If I'd been mid-career it would have been very different, but for a young player it felt new and a challenge and turned into this (long career)."He continued: "We didn't know where it was at all really....20 years ago there were roads with a lot of piles of sand and dirt where (housing) estates would be (in the future) so it had a different feel about it. "My Mum told me that they offered my nan (a chance) to relocate to Milton Keynes in the 60s or 70s, but she turned it down - so I came instead! "It was all new, most of the boys were from inner London, it was something we'd never come across." MK 'does make sense, it's just a little bit different' Many visiting Milton Keynes for the first time have mixed feelings about it, but Lewington feels right at home."Anyone who comes here says 'I don't understand it' and I kind of understand what they mean from being an outsider coming here," he said. "There are some really nice villages on the outskirts. And when you drive into town you can park right outside the restaurants, whereas in London you have to find a car park and walk 10 minutes, or use public transport. "If you immerse yourself in it, you appreciate why it was designed the way it was and it does make sense, it's just a little bit different."Lewington has had plenty of great moments as a Don, including a 4-0 League Cup win over Manchester United in 2014, in front of a crowd of more than 26, that is not the best memory from his long career."The Yeovil game here (in 2015) to get (promotion) to the Championship is probably the best moment. It took 10 years for us to get to there," Lewington said. 'My peers retired six or seven years ago' Lewington has not played a first-team game since the end of November, but what does he put his longevity down to?"I'm not an explosive player so I don't have a tendency to pull muscles."He added: "My peer groups that I came through with retired six or seven years ago. I feel very fortunate that I managed to stay relatively injury-free which allowed me to play for so long and also that my style of game allowed me to do that. "This last season has been disappointing in terms of how many games I've played but before that I've played most of the season (each year) and it's something that I love doing. It's a job that most people would give their right arm to do."Lewington has been MK Dons interim boss on three occasions but was overlooked for that role when Scott Lindsey was sacked in is currently working to earn his badges with a view to a move into coaching but admits it will be a huge wrench if the path forwards means he has to leave the club."I'm institutionalised now," he said. "It's such a fantastic club. I've poured my life into it for 20 years and it saddens me to see where it is at the moment (in League Two). "There is potential for it to be so much more and I would like to be involved in that, but whatever comes, we'll wait and see."
