Latest news with #DavidMoyes
New York Times
5 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Nottingham Forest Conference League explainer: Dates, potential opponents and prize money
Nottingham Forest will be playing in Europe next season for the first time since 1995-96. Though Nuno Espirito Santo's side narrowly missed out on the Champions League football they and the fans craved, their seventh-place finish confirms their spot in the final qualifying round for the league phase of the UEFA Conference League. Here, The Athletic gives you the lowdown on how that competition works, who Forest might face in that play-off and what the overall schedule looks like. The tournament has been running since the 2021-22 season, when it was introduced as UEFA's new third-tier European competition — below the Champions League and Europa League. Roma of Italy won the competition in its first season, to secure their only major UEFA trophy. This prompted the club's manager at the time, Jose Mourinho, to observe that they had 'made history'. David Moyes then led West Ham United to a nail-biting win in 2023, calling it one of the biggest moments of his long career. The following year, Forest's sister club Olympiacos became the first Greek side to win a major UEFA trophy. In the 2024-25 edition, which Chelsea won earlier this week, the Conference League — after the completion of four qualifying rounds — followed the Champions League and Europa League in adopting a league phase with all 36 competing teams in together instead of the pre-existing eight-groups-of-four. This format will be used next season, too. Advertisement Each side played six different opponents (three games at home, three away), rather than the eight matches in the Champions League and Europa League, with the top eight in the final table advancing directly to the round of 16 and those sides who finish from ninth to 24th entering knockout stage play-offs, with the eight victors from those ties completing the last 16. The bottom 12 after the league phase are eliminated. After the league phase, it is a straight two-leg, home-and-away knockout competition all the way to a one-off final in May. Forest's play-off round tie will be held over two legs on August 21 and August 28, which is after the start of the new Premier League season. They will not find out who their opponents will be until the draw on August 4. All 36 teams entering the league phase will do so by qualifying, with none being directly placed into the competition proper. The stage at which teams begin qualifying is based on their domestic association's club coefficient ranking, which is calculated by UEFA. England currently tops these rankings, ahead of Italy, Spain, Germany and France — which is why Forest will enter qualifying in the last round before the league phase. Before that, three qualifying rounds — which will decide who Forest might face in that play-off — will take place. First qualifying round: June 17 Second qualifying round: June 18 Third qualifying round: July 21 Play-off round: August 4 First qualifying round: July 10 and 17 Second qualifying round: July 24 and 31 Third qualifying round: August 7 and 14 Play-off round: August 21 and 28 There are many possibilities. The teams guaranteed to be in the play-off round — other than Forest — are Fiorentina, Germany's Mainz, Rayo Vallecano from Spain and France's Strasbourg. The top five nations in the association club coefficient rankings only have one team each in the competition, with all of them starting their involvement in the play-off round. However, Forest will be seeded for the play-off round so will face, in theory, a side from the weaker half of the pot. This will not influence whether they have a home or away match in the tie's second leg, though. There are places in qualifying given to clubs from all across the continent, ranging from AZ (the Netherlands), Santa Clara (Portugal), Dundee United (Scotland) and AEK Athens (Greece) to some genuine minnows, such as Araz-Naxcivan (Azerbaijan), Astana (Kazakhstan), St Patrick's Athletic (Republic of Ireland), Haverfordwest County (Wales), Calpe City Magpies (Gibraltar) and La Fiorita (San Marino). La Fiorita play in a town called Montegiardino, which has a population of around 1,000. Advertisement Teams eliminated in certain qualifying rounds for the Champions League and Europa League will also join the party at various stages of the Conference League's qualification process. So in short, Forest have no idea who they might be up against in that play-off. The league-phase matches will take place on the following dates: Matchday 1: October 2 Matchday 2: October 23 Matchday 3: November 6 Matchday 4: November 27 Matchday 5: December 11 Matchday 6: December 18 The knockout-stage ties will take place on the following dates: Knockout phase play-offs: February 19 and 26 Round of 16: March 12 and 19 Quarter-finals: April 9 and 16 Semi-finals: April 30 and May 7 Final: May 27 League phase: August 29 Knockout phase play-offs: To be determined Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final: February 27 The draws for the league phases of all three UEFA club competitions are now done via computer, to speed up the complicated process. All roads for the 2025-26 competition lead to the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, Germany. Home of Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, it has a capacity of just under 48,000 and hosted games at the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2024. As well as the glory of a European trophy, the Conference League's winners are guaranteed a league-phase place in the following season's Europa League — unless they have already qualified for the Champions League by virtue of their domestic league position, as Chelsea have done this time. As for the prize money, reaching the league phase of the 2024-25 Conference League earned you an estimated base fee of €3.2million (£2.7m; $3.6m), while each win in that league phase worth €400,000 and every draw €133,000. Teams who secured a top-eight finish in the league phase received another €400,000, while finishing from ninth to 24th earned €200,000. There was an €800,000 bonus for reaching the round of 16, €1.3m more for getting to the quarter-finals and €2.5m if your challenge ended in the semis. Runners-up Real Betis took €4m home to Spain and Chelsea received €7m. Advertisement Some optimistic Forest fans have already been booking flights to, and hotels in, Leipzig for the dates around the final, on the off-chance that their team do play in that fixture in a year's time. There is no possibility of Forest's sister club, Olympiacos, dropping down into the Conference League to potentially face them, as they will be in the Champions League as Greek title winners. This means there will be no conflict of interest for Evangelos Marinakis, who owns both clubs. He had placed his shares in Forest in a blind trust and had planned to step away from having any influence in the running of the club, in preparation for both teams potentially being in the same European competition and in order to adhere to UEFA's rules on multi-club ownership, but this will no longer be necessary. The bottom line is that Forest are playing in European competition for the first time since Frank Clark led them to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup (now the Europa League) in March 1996 where they lost to eventual winners Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. The prize money and kudos may not be on the level they would have been if Forest had qualified for the Champions League, but the fans will be determined to enjoy the ride wherever on the continent it takes them. And as we have seen with other English teams in recent years, the chance to compete for a European trophy is not to be sniffed at.
BBC News
21 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
'A breath of new blue air'
We asked for your views on our fan contributor Mike Richards' end of season scorecard (27 May, 12:43 BST).Here are some of your comments:Jack: Totally agree with everything Mike said. I am now looking forward to a new season with optimism instead of nervousness. Well done Moyesy for turning our team I agree with Mike. We need to look at this as a three-year project. As we need to develop a new team with a mix of current and new players. Our target next season should be 10th or higher. Join the classy "B" teams and progress from I totally agree the second half of the season has been nothing more than remarkable. All of the players have rolled their sleeves up and really got stuck in since the new owners have come in, in such a short space of time. Things are really on the A breath of new blue air when David Moyes returned, a great second half of the season, cannot wait to visit and watch at the new stadium and the transition to better times. COYBAdam: My overriding emotion from our season is is always a worrying sensation for us Evertonians! But we should be optimistic for once. We've got a manager who just gets our club perfectly and who will only bring in players who are willing and able to be taught about our club. We've got our shiny new stadium to make our own and build the atmosphere and rituals from scratch. We've got our finances and behind-the-scenes back in order. And we've got owners who are seemingly very keen to align themselves with what our club stands for and who have now got some good experience of owning a big, historical, passionate club through Roma. Everything, literally everything, for once is aligning and coming together and pointing to a much better future from Everton Football Club.
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Everton in talks over permanent Alcaraz deal
It's looking like being a busy summer at revival following David Moyes' appointment in January allowed the Toffees to finish 13th in the table and they can now look at their transfer Blues have announced a number of departures but are in discussions with Argentine midfielder Carlos Alcaraz to make his loan deal from Flamengo into a between the two parties are said to be going midfielder Idrissa Gueye, who won the club's player of the year award at the age of 35, is also in discussions over a contract extension, with his current deal ending this Moyes mentioned the club had already spoken to Ipswich striker Liam Delap and conversations continue to take place, though the Englishman also has interest from Manchester United and Chelsea, leaving clubs waiting on his Dominic Calvert-Lewin and defender Michael Keane are both out of contract too but there are no indications as to whether they will extend their stays to feature at the club's new stadium next season.
New York Times
a day ago
- Business
- New York Times
How David Moyes masterminded Everton's turnaround: ‘Relentless' planning and a ‘hidden magic'
The packed train, carrying hundreds of Everton supporters back from London, ground to a halt at Runcorn, allowing David Moyes, his staff and players to disembark to applause and cheers. That moment emphasised the feel-good factor around the club since Moyes' return in January. Back in August, a small but vocal group of fans had barracked members of the squad at Euston after the abject 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Advertisement The mood change over the intervening eight months could scarcely have been more dramatic. Moyes took over from Sean Dyche in January, with Everton one point above the relegation zone after 19 games. In his half-season, he almost doubled his predecessor's points total (31 to 17), quickly easing relegation concerns and securing a 13th-place finish. There had been internal surprise at the extent to which Everton struggled in the opening half of the campaign, with some key figures viewing the squad as stronger than the one that achieved 48 points — prior to deductions — under Dyche the previous season. By the time he left in January, everyone — including Dyche — seemed ready for a change. A common view espoused at the time was that the soul had drained out of the club and fresh impetus was imperative. New owners The Friedkin Group felt experience was needed to preserve Everton's Premier League status. In choosing Moyes, who had managed the club between 2002 and 2013, they banked not only on his know-how, but also his ability to bring everyone together. His return rekindled the connection between team and fans, and wins quickly followed. After four victories in his opening six matches, Everton were effectively safe by the time they headed to Abu Dhabi for a warm-weather training camp in late February. There were some sticky moments. Between February and early May, Everton won just one of their 10 league matches. But Moyes and his team ended the campaign in style, bookending a 2-0 success against Southampton in their final game at Goodison with impressive away victories at Fulham and Newcastle United. This is the story of that turnaround under Moyes, and how he did it. With relegation a real concern, Moyes and his staff knew they had little time to settle in. Their objective was simple: to keep Everton up before the summer move to a new stadium. At that stage, it was felt the battle for survival would continue into the final month of the campaign. Yet Moyes and his staff, which includes assistant manager Billy McKinlay, Alan Irvine, Leighton Baines and set-piece coach Charlie Adam, believed they had key elements in their favour. Advertisement They knew from their experiences at West Ham United that Goodison could be a powerful force if harnessed properly. There was also a sense that they had inherited strong foundations, particularly defensively, from Dyche. Moyes' main priorities were addressing Everton's chronic lack of goals — under Dyche, they managed 15 in 19 league matches — and the squad's shortage of confidence. 'There were three or four things that he wanted to see and he put that in place quickly,' McKinlay tells The Athletic. 'The biggest emphasis was he wanted to play forward and make sure we had more threat in the final third. That means more numbers (across the board). He wanted to see some aspects of play he felt would benefit us in attack. Full-backs getting forward, people arriving in the box at the right time so we could cause teams problems. 'He also wanted to win the ball higher up the pitch. The first thing we felt was there was always a real aggression about Everton. He knows the club better than anybody and what works here.' Some of Moyes' tweaks were more noticeable than others. With first-choice striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin out with a long-term hamstring injury, Moyes looked for ways of getting the most out of his replacement Beto. 'The manager has tried to implement two or three things, looking at the players' attributes and what will benefit them,' McKinlay says. 'Beto is a really good example, but I don't want to just focus on him because all the players have been sensational. There's not been a day that's gone by where we've not had their focus, application and their commitment to the cause. 'The manager wanted to utilise Beto's running power, his physical presence, his threat down the side and behind. It means playing forward through the lines and through the front, sometimes the most positive passes a player can see. 'We also wanted to help Beto by getting people closer to him. Doucs (Abdoulaye Doucoure) has done that really well. Wide players have then come in and filled the spaces and we've got the full backs forward. So Beto's probably benefited from another number of small tweaks that he wanted.' Beto excelled in the second half of the campaign, netting seven times in 16 games. But the attack in general was revitalised. A previously shot-shy team scored 27 times after Moyes' arrival. Their total from open play rose from seven to 18, while they also struck four times on the counter, compared to zero in Dyche's half-season. Crucially, they also conceded 19 to Dyche's 25. Advertisement Moyes also made key changes to the shape of his side and how he wanted to build from the back. It was felt that Ireland international Jake O'Brien, a £17m ($22.9m) summer signing from Lyon who had not started a league game under Dyche, could 'offer something going both ways'. 'From a defensive point of view, Jake is obviously a terrific athlete in terms of his physical attributes,' McKinlay notes. 'The gaffer wanted to build in a certain way, which allowed us to keep hold of one of the defenders. We kept Jake back and pushed Myko (left-back Vitalii Mykolenko) on a bit, with rotation through the middle of the pitch, which just gave it a fresh look and feel. The players got a real benefit.' The main focus has been on improving the collective. Moyes leads everything and maps out how he wants each week to look, but McKinlay, Baines and Irvine take individual sessions after training, offering feedback on where players can improve. 'Tactically, he covers everything,' McKinlay says. 'His attention to detail with the opposition, what they're going to do, how we're going to counter that in and out of possession and cause them some problems is absolutely relentless. 'He's been big on making sure players, on certain days, are getting enough specific stuff to help them improve. He wants them to feel that they're getting individual work. 'When you put it together, hopefully you see a cross for a wide player and a finish for a centre forward, for example, and that might have been done during the week.' In those group and individual sessions, Moyes and his staff have worked hard to raise confidence levels in the squad. The process was one of analysis, feedback and repetition, with McKinlay taking the view that confidence comes from 'preparation and an outcome' rather than simply 'telling players you like them'. 'Jack Harrison is a good example,' he explains. 'We saw the confidence coming back with him. Every time he does something more positive, he starts to forget about these inhibitions, the bits of insecurity or uncertainty. 'I always say to the players, 'If we think we're giving you a piece of information that's going to help you improve, don't take that as criticism. Take that as correction, an education. You should be happy with that'.' Knitting it all together has been Moyes, who returned to Goodison 12 years after his first stint more experienced, flexible and having mellowed. Advertisement 'He's got a heavy tool bag in terms of attributes: his experience, knowledge of the game, preparation and attention to detail,' McKinlay, who was also his assistant at West Ham, says. 'He's got a feel for it and he'll say things in the moment that maybe nobody else has thought about. 'That's the hidden magic, what the managers are saying and when they say it. Sometimes there's no script, it's a feeling. 'He thinks about everything to the nth degree and if he thinks he has to adapt or change it in the moment, he'll do that. 'There are times when he'll change the day off, or he'll change how he wants to prep, deliver certain messages. He's constantly thinking, talking to us and asking how we see it. If we have to change, we will.' Everton ended the season with a tangible sense of momentum. With Moyes back, new owners in situ and the men's team set to play in a new state-of-the-art stadium from next season, optimism has returned after years of decline. A summer rebuild is coming, with 15 players out of contract at the end of the season. That may sound daunting to some, but it is also an opportunity for Moyes and TFG to reshape things in a different, altogether more positive image. The challenge for Everton is to kick on, and Moyes has set the bar high. 'The yearning for success the club's got, that's what drives the gaffer,' McKinlay says. 'So (it's about) maintaining standards, improving the squad and making sure we continue to grow. 'The league's getting stronger every year, we're going to have to keep in touch with our peers and try and catch them. 'You've got bona fide Evertonians here who've got a real feel for it and know the club and the terrain. That's not everything, but if you put that on top of their coaching ability, then it helps. 'They will not let the levels drop. They know what it means to be a good Everton player, a good Everton team. So, if you build on that, we've got a new stadium with 53,000 Evertonians in there who'll shout the house down; you're going to have to service that. 'The manager's not come here to have anything other than success. Success is everything, bringing it (the club) back to the top end of the table. 'It's built for success now, it's ready for us.'
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- RTÉ News
Police detention of Liverpool parade suspect extended
Police in England have been given more time to question a man suspected of driving a car into a crowd at Liverpool's Premier League victory parade on Monday. The 53-year-old, who is from the city, is being held on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving and drug driving. Merseyside Police said that seven people remain in hospital in a stable condition after the car hit pedestrians on Water Street and they have identified 79 people who were injured. Detective Superintendent Rachel Wilson said: "I'm pleased to say that the number of people in hospital is reducing as they continue to recover from the awful incident. "We continue to support those still receiving treatment and as part of our ongoing inquiries we are identifying more people who were injured. "I want to reassure the public of Merseyside that detectives are making significant progress as we seek to establish the full circumstances that led to what happened. "In addition, extensive CCTV inquiries are being carried out across the city to establish the movements of the car - a Ford Galaxy - before the incident took place. "We have already had an incredible response from many of those who were there on the day, and I thank them for their cooperation with our investigation. "An extensive investigation into the precise circumstances of the incident is ongoing and we continue to ask people not to speculate on the circumstances surrounding the incident and refrain from sharing distressing content online." Police believe the car was able to follow an ambulance crew attending to someone suffering from a heart attack after a road block was temporarily lifted. More than 50 people, including children, were treated in different hospitals. Water Street has reopened to traffic after police tents were removed from the scene. with only a few cards and flowers left by the side of the road by well-wishers. Solidarity across city makes Liverpool 'special place' Everton manager David Moyes praised the way the community in Liverpool has supported each other in the wake of Monday's events. He said he believes the solidarity is "one of the things that makes this city special". "The people ... always come together in times of hardship," Mr Moyes added in a statement issued by the football club. "We always stand together in the most difficult times". Both clubs' supporters have a shared history of supporting each other, most notably since the 1989 Hillsborough disaster in which 97 Liverpool fans died. Liverpool manager Arne Slot offered a similar sentiment in his acceptance of the League Managers Association's manager of the year award. The Dutchman did not attend the event in London "out of solidarity with all affected" and explained his thinking in a letter. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank the wider football community, including the LMA itself, the Premier League and many clubs who will be represented, for the support we have received. "Football is and always should be a game built on rivalry, but it is also a great source of comradeship, especially at times like this."
