Man Utd takeover: The reason for delays in club sale process
Manchester United's sale process is being held up by disagreements over which bid to proceed with between the six Glazer siblings.
2023-06-29 20:21
PGA Live Updates | Club pro Michael Block joins more famous company on PGA leaderboard
Club professional Michael Block has joined considerably more famous company near the top of the leaderboard at the PGA Championship
2023-05-19 22:25
Copenhagen defender gives verdict on Marcus Rashford red card
Copenhagen defender Elias Jelert gives his verdict on Marcus Rashford's red card for Man Utd.
2023-11-09 21:29
Sir Bobby Charlton: England’s greatest ever player and the artist of 1966
Two elderly men were suited. In one case, he was much smarter than normal, dressed up for the occasion. He was the taller, more angular, with the more pronounced Northumbrian accent, but the resemblance was nonetheless apparent. He was the older, too, and had long referred to a knight of the realm as “Our Kid”. He adopted a slightly more formal approach, while seemingly choking up. “Bobby Charlton is the greatest player I’ve ever seen,” he said. “He’s me brother.” It was 15 years ago, when Jack Charlton presented his younger brother with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. The clip has an added poignancy after Bobby’s death at 86; three years ago, a couple of months after his 85th birthday, Jack had died. The brothers were different players and very different characters – the wisecracking, outspoken Jack was more of a man of the people, but Bobby’s quiet dignity gave him a statesmanlike air. They were not always close but their achievements will live on. There have been 22 men’s football World Cups and only two sets of brothers have won the most prestigious of prizes: Fritz and Ottmar Walter for West Germany in 1954, Bobby and Jack Charlton at West Germany’s expense in 1966. It remains the most famous year in English football history; perhaps it always will. At the heart of it was Bobby Charlton: the 1966 FWA Footballer of the Year and Ballon d’Or winner, named by France Football – in the days before Fifa had an official award – as the best player at the World Cup. Gary Lineker, who was a goal away from equalling Charlton’s long-standing national record of 49 for his country, called him England’s greatest ever player, Gary Neville, one of his successors as Manchester United captain, deemed him the greatest ever English player. They are not necessarily the same: but in Charlton’s case, he could be both. Perhaps only the other immortal Bobby – Moore, the 1966 captain – can challenge him for the title of the finest in an England shirt. Charlton was the second English footballer, and just the third man, to reach 100 caps. His 106th and last, in the 1970 quarter-final against West Germany, set a world record that Moore – and then many others – subsequently passed. He straddled eras – his first cap came alongside Tom Finney, who debuted in England’s first match after the Second World War, and one of the last alongside Emlyn Hughes, who represented his country in the 1980s – but defined one, a time of glory. Thirty years before Frank Skinner and David Baddiel sang about football coming home, Charlton brought it back. Their lyric – “Bobby belting the ball” – conjured images, some in colour, some in black and white, of a figure with a combover hairstyle and the cannonball shot striking the ball with beautiful ferocity, often rising throughout its way into the net. Decades before the invention of expected goals, Charlton was scoring unexpected ones. Consider his opener against Mexico, England’s first of the 1966 World Cup, from such a distance that the chance of it going in was statistically low, except for one factor: that Charlton, with such power on either foot, was hitting it. He was the master of the long-range hit: if most of Lineker’s 48 goals were predatory finishes, many of Charlton’s 49 were spectacular. Such a clean striker of a ball was not a striker at all: largely a left winger in his younger days, later the attacking-midfield fulcrum of Sir Alf Ramsey’s ‘Wingless Wonders’. He began in the old W-M formation, ended up as, in effect, the tip of a midfield diamond. It was a tactical shift, a belated move into modernity that Ramsey brought. If there was a pragmatism to England’s World Cup win, Charlton was the artist. With his brace against Portugal in the 1966 semi-final – like another double against Portuguese opposition, Benfica, in the 1968 European Cup final – he illustrated his talent could shine on the biggest of occasions. The 1966 semi-final was not seen by his father, Robert, a coal miner working a shift underground in his home town of Ashington; “his duty”, Bobby subsequently, and remarkably, reflected. On the grandest stage of all, the 1966 final, he was sacrificed, Charlton and Franz Beckenbauer deputed to man-mark each other. They received the same assignment in the 1970 quarter-final; England’s era of ascendency ended when Ramsey removed Charlton with 20 minutes remaining to save him for the semi-final, the 32-year-old distracted by the prospect of his withdrawal as Beckenbauer ran forward to reduce England’s lead to 2-1; without him, they lost 3-2. Ramsey thanked him for his service on the plane back from Mexico: Bobby knew his England career, like Jack’s, was over. It could have been still more glorious: keep Charlton on and maybe England would have prevailed in 1970. But for Garrincha’s brilliance, Charlton wondered if England would have been victorious in the 1962 quarter-final against Brazil, and then the tournament as a whole. He went to four World Cups in all, not taking the field in his first: time has rendered it more extraordinary that his England debut came in 1958, a couple of months after the Munich air disaster. He scored, too, but if a poorer performance on his third cap was understandable – it came in Belgrade, scene of the Busby Babes’ last game before Munich – it cost him his place in Walter Winterbottom’s starting 11 in Sweden. Were Duncan Edwards, Roger Byrne, Tommy Taylor and Eddie Colman to have lived, perhaps England would have won more and sooner. But it was Charlton who became the emblem of English football; the face of what is now a bygone age. In its own way, it felt appropriate that a man who carried a huge responsibility for decades was the last survivor among the players at Munich; now it may be fitting that Geoff Hurst, who had the final say in 1966, is the last of Ramsey’s chosen 11, forever charged with paying tributes to his fallen comrades. And Bobby Charlton, the greatest player Jack ever saw, the greatest to have Three Lions on his shirt, took England to the summit of the global game. Read More Sir Bobby Charlton turned tragedy into triumph with unique style and perseverance Fans lay flowers and scarves at Old Trafford following death of Bobby Charlton Tributes paid to ‘giant of the game’ Sir Bobby Charlton after his death at 86 Fans lay flowers and scarves at Old Trafford following death of Bobby Charlton Manchester United fans head to Old Trafford to pay tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton Premier League managers pay tribute as Sir Bobby Charlton dies at 86
2023-10-22 22:49
PGA Tour's top golfers travel across the country for $20M purse at Travelers Championship
Many of the top golfers on the PGA Tour have made their way across the country from the U.S. Open in Los Angeles to Connecticut and the Travelers Championship
2023-06-21 22:17
Jarry making up for lost time at French Open after suspension
Nicolas Jarry is making up for lost time at the French Open after his career was briefly derailed...
2023-06-04 19:54
Giants rookie cornerback Tre Hawkins is making plays and drawing attention in training camp
Sixth-round draft pick Tre Hawkins has been one of the early surprises for the New York Giants in training camp
2023-08-04 05:48
Niamh Charles: England and Chelsea full-back in profile
England and Chelsea right-back Niamh Charles, now 24, began her career at an early age on the Wirral in Merseyside. Charles spent her youth at the West Kirby Wasps and excelled as the only female on the pitch, playing against boys up to the age of 14. “Playing in boys’ teams growing up was all I knew so I can’t really compare it to anything else but I loved it,” she has said. “Some of the things that I had to learn as the boys got older and stronger and some of the things I had to adapt and grow about my game have helped me now in terms of the physical side of football. I wouldn’t change playing for boys’ teams because I really liked it.” After that success at junior level, Charles became a member of Liverpool’s FC Academy youth setup and found herself climbing the ranks. She made her Women’s Super League debut at just 16 and appeared 59 times for Liverpool, scoring 11 goals, but left the club following their relegation and signing for Chelsea in 2020, where manager Emma Hayes has hailed her as “tenacious” and a “willing competitor”. She has since won back-to-back doubles with the Blues and started in the Champions League Final against Barcelona in 2021, aged just 21. She has also represented England at under-17, under-19 and under-20 levels. In 2018 at the Under-20s World Cup, Charles made an impression as she helped the young Lionesses win bronze. That same year, she was voted “Rising Star” at the North-West Football Awards. Her debut for the senior side came in a friendly against France in 2021 and she has since added six more caps, a total she will be seeking to increase further in Australia and New Zealand this summer. Read More England Women’s squad for World Cup 2023 England women World Cup fixtures and route to the final England’s World Cup hinges on a defining question
2023-07-21 23:25
Arsenal's Kai Havertz mocked after setting unwanted record during pre-season challenge
Arsenal’s new striker Kai Havertz has been described as some pundits as one of the Premier League’s great untapped talents – but he didn’t show that side in a recent challenge captured on social media. The 24-year-old German came in for mockery at the hands of Chelsea fans, his former club, after he failed to score a single point in the volleying portion of the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge. Havertz became the first person in the short history of the event to never score a single point in the cross-then-volley challenge. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Chelsea fans were delighted to see their former star, who they sold to rivals Arsenal for £65m last month, struggling at the event. One wrote: “Honestly, we tried to warn them [Arsenal] bro. They were too worried about ‘getting our best player’. We are just laughing all the way to the bank, big money, and free from this fraud. Tell me I get to watch free-flowing football again.” Arsenal fans, meanwhile, were disappointed with the performance. “It's not looking good honestly,” wrote one Gunners supporter. “I'm already getting livid especially after buying him for that amount. Let's hope he comes good.” Another Arsenal fan said: “We ordered the wrong Kai Havertz online.” “Now I understand why Mikel Arteta said Havertz will be playing in the midfield this season,” another fan wrote. However, ESPN journalist Herculez Gomez said: “Champions League Final winning goal. World Cup goals. Eff the memes. Remember that.” Havertz will hope to get the opportunity to show a more all-round skill set on Wednesday night during the MLS All-Star Game. Then, Arsenal will play Manchester United at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, before taking on Barcelona in Los Angeles to wrap up their pre-season tour. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-07-19 16:23
Banchero leads fast-starting Magic to 128-116 win over Pacers
Paolo Banchero scored 24 points, Franz Wagner added 19, and the visiting Orlando Magic routed the Indiana Pacers 128-116
2023-11-20 09:29
Bukayo Saka set to sign new Arsenal contract before end of season
Arsenal are hoping to announce Bukayo Saka’s new contract before the end of the Premier League season. The England forward has been in talks with the club since last year but is committed to signing a new deal, which could now be sewn up before the summer break. Saka, 21, has played a pivotal role in the Gunners’ title challenge this season and is the only Premier League player to reach double figures for goals and assists. He has hit 13 goals and laid on 11 assists to help Mikel Arteta’s side to second place and remain in the title hunt heading into the final weeks of the campaign. Saka has missed just an hour of league football this season and also hit three goals at the World Cup as England made it to the quarter-finals in Qatar. Talks with Arsenal over fresh terms have stretched back to last summer, with Saka saying in August he “shared confidence” with Arteta that he would extend his deal at the Emirates Stadium. The PA news agency understands an agreement has all-but been reached for a new contract for the academy graduate, whose last deal was signed in the summer of 2020 and expires next year. It is believed promotional footage to be released alongside the announcement has already been completed and it is a matter or working through the finer details before the deal is finalised. While Saka is close to committing his long-term future to Arsenal, Granit Xhaka could be on the move this summer. It is understood the club would be willing to let the Switzerland captain, whose deal also expires in 2024, move on if they receive an offer they deem acceptable. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live
2023-05-09 22:46
Virginia Tech seeks explosiveness on offense and defense in Pry's second year of rebuilding
Brent Pry doesn’t shy away from the reality as he enters his second season as the coach at Virginia Tech. He makes no apologies for having to rebuild the Hokies from the ground up and says despite a 3-8 record last season, they are making progress
2023-08-17 02:45
You Might Like...
Four takeaways from Real Madrid's derby defeat to Atletico
3 NFL quarterbacks who should be benched after Week 8
Five-star PSG rout Monaco ahead of Newcastle clash
Suh leads Memorial with Matsuyama in hot pursuit
Charles Barkley Takes a Shot at Skip Bayless
Vasser Sullivan set to claim 1st major motorsports title. Team still eyeing return to IndyCar
Rangers appoint former Club Brugge boss Philippe Clement as new manager
Robert slugs 2 home runs to power the White Sox to a 4-1 win over Red Sox
