Alan Pardew has emerged as the bookmakers favourite to succeed Chris Hughton as manager of Newcastle after Martin Jol reportedly turned down the job due to conditions imposed by owner Mike Ashley.
And it is now possible former Reading, West Ham, Charlton and Southampton boss Pardew, quoted as the 1/12 favourite by leading British boomaker William Hill, could be appointed by Newcastle before their match at home to Liverpool on Saturday, when reserve coach Peter Beardsley will be in caretaker charge.
Newcastle, despite being in a respectable 11th place in the Premier League after winning promotion last season, sacked Hughton the man who took them back into the top flight on Monday.
Nothing in Pardew s record suggests he will be a significantly better manager but h…
Jurgen Klopp feels Jamie Vardy will once again pose Liverpool a massive threat in Wednesday s Premier League game.
Leicester City visit Anfield with Vardy having scored seven times in the Premier League against the Reds in his career.
The former England international is more prolific against Liverpool than any other club and he broke the deadlock in the same fixture on Merseyside last season, although Mohamed Salah s brace earned Liverpool a 2-1 win.
Vardy also memorably profited on a Lucas Leiva error to score against Liverpool in September 2016 and Klopp knows his defence will have to be on form to stop the striker finding the net again.
He s quality, the speed he has and the finishing skills he has, Klopp told reporters on Tuesday. A few times w…
Celtic skipper Charlie Mulgrew has warned his team-mates not to let any awkwardness ruin their second chance in the UEFA Champions League.
The Scottish Premiership champions are set to play Slovenia s Maribor on Wednesday in the first leg of a Champions League play-off, with a spot in the group stage up for grabs, but Celtic will only be there due to a clerical error by Legia Warsaw.
The Polish champions thumped Celtic 6-1 on aggregate in the third qualifying round of the Champions League but Legia fielded an ineligible player in the second leg and have since been denied the opportunity to play Maribor.
But speaking on Thursday, Mulgrew urged Celtic to take advantage of their opportunity rather than focus on any feelings of embarrassment over how they got into th…
Jose Mourinho is convinced Gareth Bale will return to fitness following a knee injury ahead of schedule because of his desire and motivation for play for a club he loves.
Bale, 31, completed a sensational return to Tottenham from Real Madrid on a season-long loan on Saturday, having originally departed seven years ago for a then world-record fee.
Although he enjoyed great success – including winning four Champions League titles – in Madrid, he increasingly found himself on the periphery of the first team under Zinedine Zidane over the past few years.
A return to Spurs proved a welcome move for Bale, who developed into one of the Premier League s most devastating players prior to joining Madrid.
The winger sustained a knee injury on international duty…
Australia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan feels his side s malfunctioning 3-4-3 system cannot be held entirely accountable for the 3-2 Confederations Cup defeat to Germany.
Ange Postecoglou s experiments with the expansive approach, which allows plenty of options in attacking areas, left the Asian Cup holders vulnerable to a vibrant start from Germany, who took a fifth-minute lead through Lars Stindl after Julian Brandt tore down their left flank.
Tom Rogic equalised against the run of play but Julian Draxler and Leon Goretzka were on target either side of the interval, before Tomi Juric reduced the arrears to leave an improved Socceroos pushing for an unlikely point.
The eventual tightness of the scoreline was in part down to the efforts of Ryan, a recent signing for Pre…
And so, farewell from St Petersburg and Russia. Chile and Germany brought the curtain down on Confederations Cup 2017 on Sunday before a star-studded audience as Lars Stindl secured a 1-0 win for the world champions in a pulsating contest.
Following a couple of days that could at best be described as autumnal, the grand old city was also bathed in sunshine for the occasion, delighting fans and that famously sizable Chilean travelling contingent.
As if that wasn t enough, a veteran striker was threatened with the same humiliation once endured by a Motown superstar. How would he get on?
PARKLIFE
The stroll up from the matchday bus drop-off point to Krestovsky Stadium is certainly a very pleasant one.
Four hours before kick-off, fans were rubbing sho…