Not that different to anything else, is it? They had a pretty strong case and Nick De Marco arguing for them. I think Everton in comparison swore blind they weren’t guilty whereas Forest are saying “yeah, we did what we did but the laws are a bit vague and could reasonably believe selling Johnson to Spurs kept our heads above water”.
Crawley Town v Stockport County tonight and Stockport have Todd Kane at right back. How can a League Two side possibly afford him with the amount he is worth?
https://x.com/stancollymore/status/1773430008062607822?s=46&t=IY6M0zI1h1T3HNaXabWIhQ Very sad news. Lovely player to watch back in the day. How many more?
Cheat sheet: What's at stake in Wellington Phoenix's biggest game of the season please log in to view this image Phillip Rollo Apr 04, 2024, • 05:00pm 7 Share please log in to view this image Wootton on Mariners match Wellington Phoenix defender Scott Wootton knows the importance of Saturday's top of the table clash. Play Video Wellington Phoenix defender Scott Wootton knows the importance of Saturday's top of the table clash. VIDEO CREDIT: WELLINGTON PHOENIX A-League Men: Wellington Phoenix v Central Coast Mariners Where: Industree Group Stadium, Gosford When: Saturday, 7.30pm Coverage: Live on Sky Sport 7, updates on Stuff Wellington Phoenix travel to Gosford to play defending A-League Men champions Central Coast Mariners in the biggest game of the season on Saturday night. In fact, this might just be the biggest game in the football club’s 17-year history, outside of finals fixtures. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISE WITH STUFF please log in to view this image Wellington Phoenix players celebrate their match-winning goal in their previous clash against Brisbane Roar. HAGEN HOPKINS / GETTY IMAGES What is the big deal, why is this game so important? It is the top of the table clash and with only four rounds remaining, it could determine who wins the Premiers Plate at the end of the regular season. If the Phoenix win, they will take a six-point advantage into the final three rounds, making them red-hot favourites to win their first-ever premiership. Lose, and Central Coast will overtake them as they would have won one more game and wins, not goal difference, is now the first tiebreaker when teams have the same amount of points. Finishing top would give the Phoenix the best chance to host a grand final at Sky Stadium. The winner of the premiership would usually also qualify for the AFC Champions League. However, as a New Zealand club the Phoenix are ineligible to compete in Asia. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISE WITH STUFF The Phoenix currently occupy No. 1 spot but they have the tougher run home of the two teams, rounding out the regular season with matches against Melbourne Victory (3rd), Newcastle Jets (11th) and Macarthur (4th). Central Coast’s final three games are against Western United (12th), Adelaide United (9th) and Newcastle (11th) so it is imperative the Phoenix don’t lose on Saturday. Have the Phoenix ever finished this high on the table? This is nose bleed territory for the Phoenix, who have never held first place this late in a season before, let alone finished top of the table or won a major trophy. Their highest-ever finish was third, but that came during one of the Covid-19 seasons, in 2019-20, which meant they were not rewarded with a home playoff. 2009-10 remains the club’s most successful season. The Phoenix finished fourth that year and went on to win two matches in the finals series, only to be eliminated one match short of the grand final. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISE WITH STUFF They have not hosted a home playoff since 2014-15. please log in to view this image The Phoenix have reached great heights under coach Giancarlo Italiano. HAGEN HOPKINS / GETTY IMAGES What were the expectations heading into the season? New coach Giancarlo Italiano has been a miracle worker. Nobody expected them to finish this high after losing coach Ufuk Talay and key players like Oli Sail and Clayton Lewis. In fact, most people predicted the Phoenix to contend for the wooden spoon after prioritising youth development. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISE WITH STUFF What has been the key to the Phoenix’s rise this season? The biggest reason for the Phoenix’s success this season is they have become an extremely tough team to beat, home and away. No team has won more games (13) or lost fewer games (3) than Wellington this season. They also have the best defensive record, having conceded just 23 goals in as many matches. A key factor has been the arrival of new assistant coach and former Socceroos defender Adam Griffiths, who oversaw a rock solid defence at Western Sydney Wanderers last season too. Up front, Kosta Barbarouses has carried the scoring load after experiencing a career resurgence with his hometown club. He has 11 goals for the campaign. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISE WITH STUFF please log in to view this image Midfielder Max Balard on the ball for Central Coast. SCOTT GARDINER / GETTY IMAGES Who won the last meeting between the Phoenix and Mariners? No one, actually. The two teams played out an uneventful goalless draw on Waitangi Day in a game that was billed as a blockbuster back then too. Despite missing a host of players due to injury and suspension, the Phoenix held out for 88 minutes before Central Coast finally managed to get a shot on target. Italiano said after the match that he was happy to take a point as the result kept the Phoenix top of the table. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISE WITH STUFF please log in to view this image Alex Rufer’s suspension should open the door for Ben Old (pictured) to come back into the starting lineup. MARTIN KEEP / GETTY IMAGES So, who is going to win on Saturday? Central Coast have been listed as huge favourites at home but don’t be surprised if this one ends in a draw too. The Phoenix players insist they will go into the game with a positive attitude and won’t settle for a point. However, they really don’t want to lose and a draw would still be a decent result for the Phoenix as it would maintain their three-point advantage over Central Coast, meaning they could afford to draw one of their final three games and still be guaranteed top spot. The Phoenix have lost captain and midfield talisman Alex Rufer to suspension after he was sent off against Brisbane Roar last weekend, which is a huge blow for such an important game. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISE WITH STUFF But his unavailability should see Ben Old come back into the starting lineup. As an elite dribbler, Old has the ability to open Central Coast up on the counter attack if the Phoenix do decide to sit back, soak up the pressure and pick their moments to strike. - Stuff Share Add/View Comment(7)
They'll probably get enough points to get them over the line, so no real punishment - cheating scouse ****ers
I’m need Everton to get relegated or else I have no new league grounds to go to, unless we get relegated
Just go as a neutral and get your 92 knocked out ASAP....old tequila swillers need to grasp what they can before the maggot kicks in
Birmingham City buy a sixty acre site less than a mile from St Andrews to develop into stadium, training complex for all their teams, hotel, offices. Given their ownership doubtless NFL games planned as well. To go ahead regardless of them staying up this season. While I can’t imagine any one wanting to stay in that part of town at the moment, or go to work in an office there or attend a conference, it is a bit of an achievement for their new owners to have got this far less than a year after taking over. Aim to get it done by 2029. It’s an abandoned, derelict site at the moment which will help.
Also they didn’t bother partnering up with flashy stadium designers and getting glossy mock ups published and boasting about how brilliant it was going to be before they had secured the ****ing land.
Sheffield United face two-point penalty next time they're in EFL Sheffield United will be deducted two points the next time they play in the Championship after they defaulted on payments to other clubs. The Blades - who are currently bottom of the Premier League and nine points adrift of safety with seven games to play - are likely to face the punishment next season.
