Latest news with #Under-18s
Irish Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Paul McGinley shows true colours with his comment about golf rival Darren Clarke
Paul McGinley has rushed to the defence of Darren Clarke despite their past feud, debunking the myth that the Northern Irishman coasted on talent alone and didn't put in the hard graft required. Clarke, 56, was once heralded as a prodigy in the world of golf, carrying his promise into a successful period in the late 1990s and early 2000s with two World Golf Championship wins. However, his major tournament record was a disappointment until he finally managed to win the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St George's, England, at his 54th major. His well-known love for socialising and having fun has led some to believe that he could have achieved even more had he been more dedicated to the sport. But, speaking ahead of the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush, his former rival and friend McGinley dismissed such talk. The Dubliner told Indo Sport: 'That's one of the biggest jokes in golf, the way Darren is positioned as this happy-go-lucky Irishman, always in good form, drinking and partying his head off, incredibly gifted and that's the success that he had. 'We all know and revel in how hard Padraig Harrington worked. I can promise you that golf meant as much, if not more, to Darren and he worked equally as hard. Having lived next door to him for 20 years in England, having seen the effort he put into practice… 'On top of the God-given talent that he had, he also worked at it and probably, in some ways, it hurt him more than it helped him because he was so obsessed with the game and worked so hard on the game that he went up blind alleys too regularly. "I think he'd admit that himself. But he worked very hard and he had incredible ambition. I'm full of admiration for what he has done in his career.' McGinley did, however, go on to shed light on his incredible natural talent, saying: 'I remember when I was playing Under-18s and barely getting into these junior programmes in Ireland. I was coming onto the scene but there was one guy who stood out from everybody else. Darren Clarke (L) and Paul McGinley (C) have become friends again since falling out (Image: AFP via Getty Images) 'He had bleach blonde hair, he came with an arrogance and a look of confidence about him. He had irons that the players were using on tour, he got all the latest gear and he hit the ball just phenomenally. He was in a different league to everybody else. So from the age of 16, Darren was a step ahead of everybody else.' Despite such high praise, McGinley once had a bitter falling out with Clarke, who had controversially backtracked after initially supporting McGinley's campaign to become European captain for the 2014 Ryder Cup. Clarke wrote to him in 2011, offering his support to the Irishman's bid to lead at Gleneagles. But in December 2012, Clarke told the BBC that he himself was a contender for the captaincy role and later seemed to support Colin Montgomerie - who had led in 2010 - after the United States chose Tom Watson. McGinley was ultimately named captain in 2013 and took Europe to a 16½-11½ success, earning praise from the likes of Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia. McGinley later admitted that the pair's exchanges had become "short and sweet". The rift between them was mended by 2016, as revealed by Clarke to the Daily Mail. "Paul and I had a great conversation in Dubai. We must have stood and talked for an hour on the range. He was giving me tips and advice about what he had done. We had a great conversation there and I apologised to him," Clarke explained. "I let things go. I have moved on. I have made my peace with Paul and he was brilliant in Dubai. I can go back to him and run things past him. He said, 'Whatever you want, let me know.' "We have buried the hatchet and we are moving forward. We have drawn a line under it. He offered me all sorts of advice. He couldn't have been better. That feels good because we were very close growing up all the way through our careers.'
Irish Examiner
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Kolo Toure joins Manchester City's backroom staff on permanent basis
Former Manchester City defender Kolo Toure has been appointed to Pep Guardiola's backroom staff on a permanent basis. The 44-year-old performed the role of assistant first-team coach during this summer's Club World Cup campaign in the United States, and City have confirmed he is to remain in place on a full-time basis. Director of Football Hugo Viana said: 'We're delighted to permanently add Kolo to our first-team coaching staff. We're delighted to confirm the permanent appointment of Kolo Toure to Pep Guardiola's backroom staff 🩵 — Manchester City (@ManCity) July 15, 2025 'Not only does he bring his immensely precious experience at football's elite level, but he also has a deep connection with Manchester City and a deep knowledge of the club. 'We've also been hugely impressed with his work and success with our Under-18s, and by adding him into our senior staff permanently, this will only strengthen the transition for players in our academy into the first team. 'As we already saw throughout his time with Pep Guardiola, Pep Lijnders and James French this summer, his massive personality of optimism and positivity is hugely infectious and we're already looking forward to his work moving forward.' Kolo Toure wo the Premier League with both Arsenal and Manchester City (Clint Hughes/PA) Former Ivory Coast international Toure, who won the Premier League with both City and previous club Arsenal, worked under lead coach Oliver Reiss last season as they guided the club's Under-18s to the Premier League North title and saw their side lose both the national final and the FA Youth Cup final to Aston Villa. He had previously coached with the Ivory Coast national squad and was part of Brendan Rodgers' staff at Celtic and Leicester before a brief spell in charge in his own right at League One Wigan.
North Wales Chronicle
15-07-2025
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Kolo Toure joins Manchester City's backroom staff on permanent basis
The 44-year-old performed the role of assistant first-team coach during this summer's Club World Cup campaign in the United States, and City have confirmed he is to remain in place on a full-time basis. Director of Football Hugo Viana said: 'We're delighted to permanently add Kolo to our first-team coaching staff. We're delighted to confirm the permanent appointment of Kolo Toure to Pep Guardiola's backroom staff 🩵 — Manchester City (@ManCity) July 15, 2025 'Not only does he bring his immensely precious experience at football's elite level, but he also has a deep connection with Manchester City and a deep knowledge of the club. 'We've also been hugely impressed with his work and success with our Under-18s, and by adding him into our senior staff permanently, this will only strengthen the transition for players in our academy into the first team. 'As we already saw throughout his time with Pep Guardiola, Pep Lijnders and James French this summer, his massive personality of optimism and positivity is hugely infectious and we're already looking forward to his work moving forward.' Former Ivory Coast international Toure, who won the Premier League with both City and previous club Arsenal, worked under lead coach Oliver Reiss last season as they guided the club's Under-18s to the Premier League North title and saw their side lose both the national final and the FA Youth Cup final to Aston Villa. He had previously coached with the Ivory Coast national squad and was part of Brendan Rodgers' staff at Celtic and Leicester before a brief spell in charge in his own right at League One Wigan.
Hans India
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
Kolo Toure joins Pep Guardiola's backroom staff at Man City
Manchester: Manchester City have confirmed the permanent appointment of Kolo Toure to Pep Guardiola's backroom staff. After performing the role of first team assistant coach during the Club's FIFA Club World Cup campaign this summer, the 44-year-old will remain in the position on a full-time basis. It comes after the Ivorian – who helped both Arsenal and City to Premier League success during an illustrious playing career - enjoyed a hugely successful season serving as Assistant Lead Coach with City's Under-18s last term. Working alongside Lead Coach Oliver Reiss, the former Ivory Coast defender helped pilot the City youngsters to the Premier League Under-18 North title, our Under-18s then narrowly edged out 1-0 at Aston Villa in the National final. Alongside Reiss, Toure also guided the young Blues through to the FA Youth Cup final before they were pipped to the trophy by Villa. Toure also boasts extensive coaching experience away from City, having initially worked with the Ivory Coast national set-up before then spending time at both Glasgow Celtic and Leicester City as part of Brendan Rodgers' coaching team. Before joining the City Academy coaching set-up, Kolo also undertook a brief spell in charge at Wigan Athletic. Commenting on Toure's appointment as first-team assistant coach, Director of Football Hugo Viana said, 'We're delighted to permanently add Kolo to our first team coaching staff. 'Not only does he bring his immensely precious experience at football's elite level, but he also has a deep connection with Manchester City and a deep knowledge of the Club. 'We've also been hugely impressed with his work and success with our Under-18s, and by adding him into our senior staff permanently, this will only strengthen the transition for players in our Academy into the first team. 'As we already saw throughout his time with Pep Guardiola, Pep Lijnders and James French this summer, his massive personality of optimism and positivity is hugely infectious and we're already looking forward to his work moving forward."
Rhyl Journal
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Kolo Toure joins Manchester City's backroom staff on permanent basis
The 44-year-old performed the role of assistant first-team coach during this summer's Club World Cup campaign in the United States, and City have confirmed he is to remain in place on a full-time basis. Director of Football Hugo Viana said: 'We're delighted to permanently add Kolo to our first-team coaching staff. We're delighted to confirm the permanent appointment of Kolo Toure to Pep Guardiola's backroom staff 🩵 — Manchester City (@ManCity) July 15, 2025 'Not only does he bring his immensely precious experience at football's elite level, but he also has a deep connection with Manchester City and a deep knowledge of the club. 'We've also been hugely impressed with his work and success with our Under-18s, and by adding him into our senior staff permanently, this will only strengthen the transition for players in our academy into the first team. 'As we already saw throughout his time with Pep Guardiola, Pep Lijnders and James French this summer, his massive personality of optimism and positivity is hugely infectious and we're already looking forward to his work moving forward.' Former Ivory Coast international Toure, who won the Premier League with both City and previous club Arsenal, worked under lead coach Oliver Reiss last season as they guided the club's Under-18s to the Premier League North title and saw their side lose both the national final and the FA Youth Cup final to Aston Villa. He had previously coached with the Ivory Coast national squad and was part of Brendan Rodgers' staff at Celtic and Leicester before a brief spell in charge in his own right at League One Wigan.
