Latest news with #PlanA
Daily Record
31-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Major M&S refund update to impact families across the UK
The retailer has made a switch up to its children's clothing refund policy that will benefit families across the country. Families who shop for clothing at M&S are about to witness a major shift in their shopping experience as the retailer has announced a significant change to its refund policy. Thousands of families with children across the UK expected to benefit from this switch up. While shopping for children's clothes can be a somewhat stressful experience at times, M&S is hoping to lessen this burden by making an important change to how parents can get a refund when they are buying clothes for their kids in store. Revealed earlier this week, M&S is set to become the first high street retailer to offer a one-year guarantee on all of its children's clothing, reports Manchester Evening News. This means that families with kids will be able to claim a refund on an item of clothing up to 365 days after it was purchased. However, it should be noted that children's footwear and accessories are excluded from this year-long refund policy. This policy switch up means that shoppers will be able to get a full refund on any kidswear within a year of purchasing if the product does not meet the retailer's high quality standards. Kidswear director at M&S, Alexandra Dimitriu said: "At M&S, exceptional quality products are at the heart of everything we do. Quality and durability is in our DNA, and is an important part of our Plan A roadmap as we move toward a more circular economy. "In Kidswear, our customers have always trusted us for the hand-me-down quality of our clothing, knowing that every single item they buy, whether it is a jogger or a dress, a piece of school uniform, is exceptional quality and trusted value. "With an authoritative lead in quality, we're going one step further to give our customers the confidence that any item of kids clothing they purchase, it made well and made to last and can be given Another Life when their children grow out of it. She added: "As a mum myself, I know just how important this is." M&S is continuously trying to find new ways to help out families in the UK, as last year the retailer launched its 100 day back-to-school extended returns policy. However, with the launch of the new kidswear refund policy, school clothes will now fall under this updated scheme, alongside other children and baby clothing. This means school wear is extended to the year long M&S guarantee. On top of this, M&S also announced earlier this month that it will be bringing back its popular school uniform offer to its stores to help make sure families are ready for their first day back after the summer holidays. This offer, which many shoppers had initially thought had disappeared, sees school clothing get a 20 per cent cut. A spokesperson said: "From Thursday, July 17, M&S will be offering 20 percent off across Back to School ranges (including shoes and hosiery), in stores nationwide. "M&S school uniform is designed to be durable and pass the 'hand-me-down' quality test to ensure even when it's outgrown, it can be given another life. "Across the range, M&S has incorporated intelligent innovative design features that grow with children, from growth proof hems to adjustable waistbands and the 2025 range continues to include the parent-friendly innovations M&S is known for - from permanent pleats in skirts to 'easy to iron' shirts." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
New York Times
25-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
What is Liverpool's first-team pathway for youngsters like Rio Ngumoha?
The tricks and fancy flicks of Rio Ngumoha offer a glimpse into the future at Liverpool. If the talented 16-year-old develops into the elite winger many expect, it won't be long before he is integrated into the first team and recognised as the next breakout star. The hype around Ngumoha — signed from Chelsea last year and already an emerging talent in the England youth setup — is growing. A productive end to last season after working with Liverpool coaches on his finishing in training helped build momentum for Ngumoha that he has taken into this summer and pre-season has been the perfect time for him to flourish. Advertisement A staggered return for some of Liverpool's senior attackers opened up an opportunity in the opening friendly against Preston North End, televised on ITV1, opening him up to a wider audience. Ngumoha ran at the Preston defence with intent and sparked a new wave of optimism before scoring against Stoke City in a 5-0 win at Liverpool's training ground. He then linked up with a 29-man squad on the tour of Hong Kong and Japan. He is the most exciting teenage attacker at the club and was sold the big dream of representing Liverpool at senior level in the years to come when negotiating his move last summer. Forming a pathway for young players is at the heart of the academy's plans. Staying at Chelsea could have earned Ngumoha more money but he was encouraged by the potential of a fast-tracking process. He made his senior debut in the FA Cup win against Accrington Stanley last season. Head coach Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes have since picked up some of the best plug-and-play young talent across Europe, signing Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez in deals worth almost £300million. Yet many far less experienced youngsters still believe Liverpool is the best place to develop, either by breaking into the first team or landing an attractive alternative if Plan A fails. Trey Nyoni, the 18-year-old midfielder signed from Leicester City in September 2023, realised that as he trained under Arne Slot for most of last season and made five senior appearances. Nyoni only returned to the under-21 set-up when he needed minutes to maintain match sharpness, and recently signed a new long-term contract. Other youngsters, including Jayden Danns (19 years old), James McConnell (20) and Lewis Koumas (19) — players who helped Liverpool win the Carabao Cup against Chelsea in 2024 — may have been pushed further back in the pecking order, but time is still on their side. A forensic approach to finding the right loan move for each individual will help their development. It's also why Armin Pecsi, the 20-year-old goalkeeper, turned his back on regular football to join Liverpool from Puskas Akademia this summer, despite recognising that he would not be competing with current No 1, Alisson, and his backup, Giorgi Mamardashvili. Pecsi is on the 100-player longlist for this year's Golden Boy, awarded to Europe's best under-21 player. He was a regular for the Hungarian top-flight runners-up and had options to continue playing for other clubs across Europe who were keen to sign him. Yet Pecsi, a boyhood Liverpool supporter, recognised the value of moving to an elite club with world-class training facilities and high-level coaching. He was promised a place on the tour to help settle in, and the plan is to train for a year on Merseyside before moving on loan next season with a view to challenging for the first team in the next three to four years. Advertisement Matt Newberry, the director of global talent, handled the negotiations and pointed to the development of other goalkeepers such as Caoimhin Kelleher and Vitezslav Jaros when offering assurances for the future. Kelleher played 67 games for Liverpool in all competitions and moved to Brentford for £18m this summer, while Jaros is now on loan at Ajax and has developed into a top-level 'keeper. Liverpool put on a detailed presentation when they target youngsters and, alongside Ngumoha and Nyoni, they have signed Amara Nallo from West Ham United and both Alvin Ayman and Harvey Owen from Wolverhampton Wanderers in recent years. Academy director Alex Inglethorpe sets the tone. Over 12 years at the club, he can point to a fine track record of promoting talent — the academy is located in the same building as the first-team at the AXA Training Centre, to underline the potential pathway for youngsters — and has established a strict culture. There is a £50,000-a-year academy wage cap, a car clause limiting engine sizes to 1.3 litres, and a rule where mobile phones are handed in on arrival. Newberry, previously head of senior academy recruitment and head of loan management, has contributed heavily, too, and since Slot's arrival, the connection between the departments has remained strong. The hiring of Rob Page (under-21s) and the expected arrival of Simon Wiles (under-18s) will bring a fresh coaching outlook and the hope is that results improve after a disappointing period for the development teams last season. Winning, of course, is not the key objective. Bringing players through each age group is the ultimate aim. Liverpool can point to midfielder Curtis Jones — the only Scouser regularly in the team following Trent Alexander-Arnold's move to Real Madrid — as the example of where players can get to if they combine talent with hard work. Advertisement Right-back Conor Bradley benefited from a loan spell at Bolton Wanderers after he was scouted for over a year and joined from County Tyrone youth side, Dungannon Swifts, in 2019. Jarell Quansah, meanwhile, has just left the club to join Bundesliga runners-up Bayer Leverkusen for an initial £30m, showing that a future elsewhere is possible even if establishing a regular place in the team at Anfield is not forthcoming. Landing the gem of German football in Wirtz, one of Europe's most sought-after strikers in Ekitike, and two flying full-backs in Frimpong and Kerkez will make a difference after three quiet transfer windows. Harvey Elliott, Tyler Morton and Owen Beck may have to move to fulfil their ambitions of playing regularly. Ben Doak's time with the squad during pre-season could also put him in the shop window. It wasn't so long ago that Doak was the most exciting youngster at the club, only to be overshadowed by the hype that followed Ngumoha when he joined last summer. If either he or Ngumoha make it, that will be considered a success. It's no secret that greater attention is placed on players with the potential to kick on in the first team but that doesn't mean that others suffer as a result. Take Luca Stephenson, the well-liked utility player. He spent last year on loan at Dundee, where he made 31 consecutive appearances in the Scottish Premiership before returning to Merseyside with an injury in the closing weeks of the campaign. Since signing from Sunderland in 2018, Stephenson has moved from midfield to right back and also as a makeshift centre-back with every tactical requirement clearly outlined along the way. The 21-year-old is also on the tour and expected to sign a contract extension before heading out on loan, most likely back to Dundee unless a Championship club makes a move. Advertisement Liverpool see the benefit in monitoring his progress for another year, even though his chances of breaking into the first team are limited. While Stephenson may not generate the same level of excitement as Ngumoha and Nyoni, Liverpool have still given him a pathway for the future.
NBC Sports
23-07-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
Chiefs are actively negotiating deals with Missouri and Kansas
The Chiefs have viable stadium options in Missouri and in Kansas. And they're actively negotiating deals with each state. 'We've had more meetings, more discussions,' Chiefs president Mark Donovan said Tuesday, via Dave Skretta of the Associated Press. 'At this point it's literally — you're taking an agreement this long and whittling it down to this paragraph and this line, and we need an agreement on this, and we're doing this on both sides. You're in that process where you're not sure which way it will go.' In other words, the Chiefs are fully seizing on the leverage inherent to having two options in order to get the best deal from each place. When there's resistance, all the Chiefs have to say is,"We're not sure which way it will go.' And that's good business for the Chiefs. As long as Missouri and Kansas are allowing it to happen, why not do it? 'Our job, and the team around me, is to get the two best possible partnerships figured out down to the detail,' Donovan added. 'At that point we go to the Hunt family and say, 'Here are the options. What do you want to do?'' There's a chance the Hunt family already knows what it wants to do, and that it's playing its preferred option against Plan B in order to get the best possible terms from Plan A. Again, there's nothing wrong with that. As long as Missouri and Kansas are allowing it to happen, why not do it?
Daily Record
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
I worked with a Rangers manager who infamously only had Plan A but I sense something different in Russell Martin
The Ibrox faithful were left struggling to mind their Ps and Qs 10 years ago Cammy Bell played under a Rangers manager whose insistence on perfecting Plan A eventually spelled trouble at Ibrox. But he believes Russell Martin has realised he'll have to switch schemes if he's to avoid being branded another B-list boss. The former Ibrox keeper saw how Mark Warburton's refusal to budge from his strict passing philosophies eventually allowed teams to work out his tactics. While the Londoner enjoyed success in his first campaign in Glasgow, it didn't last. He famously claimed his 'Plan B was to do Plan A better'. But in the end, the Ibrox faithful were left struggling to mind their Ps and Qs as his team became bogged down in a aimless succession of passes, all the while Brendan Rodgers ' Celtic Invincibles were disappearing off over the horizon. The complaints aimed at Warbs were similar to the criticism Martin had to deal with last term as his Southampton team's insistence on playing out from the defence backfired among the merciless big beasts of the Premier League. It proved to be a chastening experience for the new Gers gaffer, who lasted less than six months before being axed. But Bell believes he'll have taken a valuable lesson from that experience as he now sets his targets on making Rangers Scotland's A-team once more. 'Listen, that was a clear message from Mark Warburton - 'do Plan A better',' recalled Bell. 'We worked on it relentlessly and training every single day was geared towards the way he wanted us to play on a Saturday. 'But when you look at the opposition that you play these days using different formations, different styles, who play at different levels in Europe and also domestically, Rangers will need to have a plan B. 'You can't always rely on plan A working. 'Sometimes things can go against you - you have a man sent off, a refereeing decision. Sometimes plan A doesn't work out the way you think it's going to. 'So you've always got to be able to adapt within games and certainly when I look across the continent, the best managers always adapt during the game if they need to. 'Yes, in an ideal world we'd love plan A to work and it to be the one that gets you over the line and wins you that game of football. 'But I think Russell Martin will certainly come with an idea of a plan B because when you face the likes of Celtic in an Old Firm game, you have to have a plan B.' That's now how Warburton saw it - but his players certainly did. Bell said: 'Yes, there were times certainly during my time when we sat in the changing room and thought teams had figured this out. They knew how to play against us and we were making it easy for them. 'And that's why, again, I reflect back to the need to have a different game plan, to be able to adjust and adapt. 'Listen, there's times when the boys will have to start taking responsibility on the pitch. 'Yes, you've got your plan A but if you see the ball over the top to your striker making that run, are you allowed to play that? 'I feel as if Russell Martin's got that adaptability in his management as well, to allow his players the freedom to express themselves. 'He wants them to go on the pitch, play attacking football, problem solve. Again, I think that's the best managers, they allow their players, if they're good enough, to go and do it and go and make the game happen for them. Martin got his first taste of what he can expect if things go wrong this season. Sunday's kick-about with Club Brugge may have been his side's first pre-season friendly, but that didn't stop the impatient Ibrox faithful from BOOING his team off at half-time as they went in 2-0 down. Gers recovered to claim a decent draw against the Belgian giants and Martin will now hope to iron out the creases highlighted at the weekend during this week's training camp in St George's Park in Burton. But Bell reckons the manager might have to protect his players going forward if he is to shield them from the flak that comes while they figure out his new style of play. He said: 'I think he will take it on his shoulders. He explained the style of football that he plays. We all understand it. 'It's in tight areas. He knows that players are going to be uncomfortable in some areas of taking the ball and retaining possession. But again, that's the whole training part. 'It's adapting to these small, tight areas and finding solutions. But I think he's got to. The manager always takes the responsibility of the style that they play and the way that they go about their business. 'Rangers is all about results. We know that. We know it's about winning for Rangers. 'Russell Martin's got a big job ahead of himself. He's got a huge task ahead of himself. We're getting these players ready for the start of the season. 'But I'm pretty sure he believes that he can do it.' It's early days, but Bell is encouraged by what he's seen from the new-look Gers and the small soundbites he's heard from Martin. Bell added: 'Russell knows he's got a lot to prove to the fans. 'The only way he can prove to Rangers fans is by winning games of football, winning trophies. He's got that opportunity to do it now. Listen, people judge people before things actually happen. 'I don't think he should do that. I think he should love the opportunity to get behind him. He's got a big summer ahead of himself with regards to recruitment. 'Players that need to come in. Players that need to leave the club. But it's not just him. 'It's a team effort. Now you see Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell as well working behind the scenes. So there's a big effort for Rangers Football Club this summer. 'But as I say, judge Russell Martin on results.' Cammy Bell was launching the Refugee World Cup Scotland 2025 tournament on Sunday 29 th June at Toryglen Regional Football Centre. The event celebrates the diversity of communities in Scotland through football while standing up for the rights of refugees.'
The Herald Scotland
04-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Motherwell fans need to lose 'get rid' urges amid new style
Ok, I admit it. When Calum Ward was dribbling the ball out from the back the other day and trying to thread passes on the edge of his 18-yarder as if he was Franz Beckenbauer in his pomp (he isn't) my heart was in my mouth just a little. I don't know if it's a reflexively Scottish thing to immediately get the heebie jeebies when your team tries something as 'continental' and 'woke' as playing the ball out from the back, but watching the Motherwell players trying to execute the philosophy of Jens Berthel Askou for the first time, even in a pre-season kickabout, seemingly sparked a dose of the vapours among a good chunk of the support. One can only imagine how many of the Fir Park punters would react if the team attempts this on the opening day of the league campaign against Rangers. Though, we don't really need to imagine it at all, because we can simply recall the reaction when Jim Gannon and then Graham Alexander initially tried it during their own tenures as manager. (Image: Craig Foy - SNS Group) With the greatest of respect to the likes of club legend Stephen Craigan and then later on, cult hero Bevis Mugabi, they didn't look altogether comfortable with the notion, to say the least. And as for the fans? Well, the good folk from St John's better be on alert for a sharp increase in medical incidents just above the dugouts. Read more: These managers soon ripped up Plan A, and tailored their style to suit the tools with which they were working. And after the friendly defeat to FC Twente, many speculated online that Berthel Askou would soon come to a similar realisation that his players just weren't good enough to pull this sort of thing off. That a modern, progressive style just isn't for the likes of us. But here's the thing. I'm not sure he will. Granted, he might not have his keeper playing quite so high up the pitch at times, and he clearly doesn't intend him to be on the ball quite as often as he was in the midweek game. Much of that was caused by the players ahead of the defence not quite executing the sort of movement he wants from them, by the by, hence the frequent shouts accusing them of 'hiding' from the dugout. There will be tweaks to what we saw against Twente when the competitive stuff gets underway, for sure, but when Berthel Askou arrived, his pitch was that a more 'dynamic' and 'aggressive' approach with 'more dimensions' was vital to the success of his team. Having met him, he doesn't seem the type to be swayed from that belief by groans from the crowd and people imploring him 'to get the ball up the f****** park'. Let's not forget, this is what a large section of the fanbase (me included) wanted. An end to years of predominantly long hoofs, 50/50s, and scrapping for second balls. Entertaining and enterprising football. Players taking the ball under pressure and being comfortable on it. High pressing, high intensity. And yes, a little higher risk. There were glimpses of it under Michael Wimmer, and now it seems from early impressions that Berthel Askou is going to crank that up another notch. (Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) He has time to bring in players more suited to such a game model, but there were signs on Tuesday that even with the current group, this can work. When it came off, and when Motherwell broke the Twente press, they created opportunities. A proper balance will have to be found. There's nothing wrong with going long when the occasion demands it, and as some of the pitches deteriorate towards the winter, those occasions will increase. I can understand the reticence from some to embrace this sort of style. In a division where the margins are razor thin, increasing the risk around your own area seems counter-intuitive. But the rewards could be great. Brendan Rodgers picked up on this theme a couple of years ago. Ok, he has far better players at his disposal than Motherwell do, but when discussing taking his Celtic side into the Champions League, he hit back at those who criticised him for playing out against teams better than his own. "People don't pick up on the balls that get smashed up the pitch that come right back at you and it ends up in a goal,' Rodgers said. 'No-one ever talks about that. But the minute a short build-up leads to a goal? 'I guarantee the stats are greater for mistakes in the long ball build-up. Any top team in the world will build from the back. If you make a mistake, you can't kill your goalkeeper. It's about decision making.' This isn't Berthel Askou reinventing the wheel, here, after all. Teams around Europe have been doing this for years. And the players, no matter what you may think about some of them and their technical limitations, are capable of controlling the ball and passing it 10 or 15 yards. It all boils down to their decision-making, and with more practice and repetition, that will get better. But it will also take patience from the crowd. If we want to move away from the drudgery of the past and towards a more sophisticated and entertaining brand of football, we have to give Berthel Askou a chance to implement it. Therefore, I am hereby banning myself from uttering the words 'get rid!' in the early stages of the season, and I politely suggest you do the same. Even if we all know that little voice inside of us, who wants us to play it safe and to pretend it's still 1987, will be screaming at us to do so. Even if one hand is over my eyes, I'll be keeping the other one over my gub.
