West Brom have appointed Sam Allardyce as their new head coach, just hours after sacking Slaven Bilic.
The Baggies parted ways with Bilic despite a resilient performance in a 1-1 draw at Manchester City on Tuesday.
However, reports emerged after the game that West Brom had already made their decision, which was confirmed on Wednesday.
Allardyce – who has been out of management since a short-lived spell at Everton in 2017-18 – was reportedly the frontrunner to replace Bilic and the former England boss has now been confirmed as West Brom s head coach.
The 66-year-old, who has previously helped stabilise and keep up struggling sides such as Sunderland and Crystal Palace, has managed 512 times in the top flight – only Arsene Wenger (828), Alex Ferguson …
Neymar returning to Barcelona would be incredible , though former star Xavi insisted a transfer to re-sign the Paris Saint-Germain forward would be very difficult .
LaLiga champions Barca have been linked to Neymar, who left Camp Nou for French giants PSG in a world-record €222million deal in 2017.
PSG sporting director Leonardo confirmed Neymar – who failed to turn up to the first day of pre-season training – is available for the right price.
Xavi played alongside Neymar before moving to Qatari side Al Sadd in 2015 and the 39-year-old told Movistar: He would be an incredible signing.
But I see it as being difficult, honestly. I think it s very difficult.
We have seen so many things that I thought I d never see though, such as PSG paying …
Bad luck proved to be Iran s downfall on the pitch on Wednesday, as a fortuitous Diego Costa goal saw them succumb 1-0 to Spain, but it was an historic day for them nonetheless as their fans emerged as the real victors.
In the 36 hours before kick-off in Kazan, Tatarstan s capital city had been taken over by 15,000 Iranian supporters.
It was impossible to escape the incessant blasts of their airhorns throughout the city, those very same horns which later made it feel as though the vuvuzelas of the 2010 World Cup had made an unlikely comeback during the match.
Whether you were attempting to sleep in your hotel room or hoping for a peaceful wander around Kazan s spectacular Kremlin, there was no escaping the noise of the Iran supporters.
Seems to be a far g…
Sky Sports journalists Kaveh Solhekol and Dharmesh Sheth had an interesting debate reflecting the summer transfer window of 2012. While the addition of Robin van Persie enabled Manchester United to reclaim the Premier League title the following season, their last to date, Eden Hazard spent seven very successful years at Stamford Bridge.
Interestingly enough, both of them had been a few months prior to their respective moves.
https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1146848717229756419
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Former England defender Jamie Carragher likes the idea of United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann replacing Roy Hodgson, though he is not a fan of Alan Shearer.
Hodgson announced his swift resignation following England s humiliating 2-1 defeat to minnows Iceland in the last 16 at Euro 2016 on Monday.
England Under-21 coach Gareth Southgate has emerged as the frontrunner to fill the vacancy, while Alan Pardew and Eddie Howe have also been mentioned.
However, Carragher is open to the Football Association (FA) appointing a foreign manager, picking out Klinsmann, who guided USA to a semi-final berth at the Copa America Centenario.
My own view is that international football should be about the best in your country against the best of someone else s, so I had alw…
When Real Madrid host Barcelona at Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, two of the best players the game has ever seen will be looking to lead their respective teams to victory.
Cristiano Ronaldo is without doubt Madrid s go-to guy when it matters most, while Lionel Messi has developed into the Catalans undisputed star man since making his senior debut in 2004-05.
The two have dominated the sport like no others before them, winning nine Ballons d Or between them since 2008. Who is the better player of the two, though?
Fans of the Argentine will point to his five Ballon d Or awards and his numerous trophies with Barcelona.
Those in favour of the Portuguese will highlight the fact he has not only done it in LaLiga with Madrid, but has also enjoyed success�…
Lionel Messi has his sights on a record set by Real Madrid great Raul when Barcelona face Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, as the Champions League proper gets started for the 2019-20 season.
Barca s talisman is back in their squad for the trip to Germany after missing the start of the campaign with a calf injury and, while he is unlikely to start, few would bet against him having a decisive impact if he does make an appearance.
Reigning champions Liverpool begin their title defence at Napoli in what will surely prove to be a tricky test, although Sadio Mane will be aiming to equal a record set by Didier Drogba.
There will also be Champions League bows in the dugout for Frank Lampard and Sylvinho.
Below, we examine the key data for Tuesday s encounters
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Verdict: Borussia Dortmund win and both teams to score
Best Odds:
Bookmaker:
Desperate to restart the Bundesliga season with a win on Friday, Lucien Favre s Borussia Dortmund side will be hoping to remain unbeaten when they welcome Eintracht Frankfurt to the Westfalenstadion.
Borussia Dortmund
Starting with the hosts, while BVB did manage to secure Champions League football last season, Dortmund will be hoping Lucien Favre can help close the gap on Bundesliga kings Bayern Munich. Coming off the back of a 0-0 draw with Hannover before the international break, The Yellow and Blacks are still boosted by their very impressive 4-1 win against RB Leipzig on the opening weekend. With last years top scorers Michy Batshuayi and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leav…
The end of the club season means individual awards are dominating the discourse right now in European football. Well, if you can t beat them, join them.
Rather than just run through the usual categories highlighting the best player and best coach – although we will do that, too – why not focus on some alternative prizes?
The NBA Awards provide a fine blueprint, rewarding superstars alongside breakout performers, recovering veterans and valuable bench players.
Relying heavily on Opta data, we ll steer clear of team honours – a blow to Wout Weghorst, whose eight blocks (leading all forwards in Europe s top five leagues) might have carved out a spot leading the All-Defensive First Team – but there remains plenty to go at
Most Valuable Player
Mauricio Pochettino believes his players have been their own worst enemies this season after Chelsea’s recent good form was derailed by last weekend’s thrashing at Newcastle.
The 4-1 loss on Tyneside came after the team had given arguably their two most promising performances of the season, first winning by the same score away at previously unbeaten Tottenham, then in drawing a frenetic match 4-4 against Premier League and European champions Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.
Yet at St. James’s Park they were routed by Eddie Howe’s side, with Pochettino admitting to feeling angry and disappointed at the manner in which his players capitulated in the second half against a Newcastle team ravaged by injuries.
The latest team news update from Cobham is in. …