Show HN: I created an app to make my online reading experience easier
Show HN: I created an app to make my online reading experience easier
3 by k-i-r-t-h-i | 1 comments on Hacker News.
3 by k-i-r-t-h-i | 1 comments on Hacker News.
February 2021
Show HN: A Native Tiling Window Manager for Windows 10, Inspired by I3wm
Show HN: A Native Tiling Window Manager for Windows 10, Inspired by I3wm
263 by mcyoloswagham | 62 comments on Hacker News.
263 by mcyoloswagham | 62 comments on Hacker News.
Nigel Pearson leads tributes to former Newcastle and West Ham boss Glenn Roeder
Tributes are being paid to the former West Ham and Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder, who has died at the age of 65.
Roeder, who also coached Gillingham, Watford and Norwich, had been battling a brain tumour.
Howard Wilkinson, chairman of the League Managers’ Association, described him as an “unassuming, kind gentleman who demonstrated lifelong dedication to the game”.
“Not one to court headlines, his commitment and application to his work at all levels warrants special mention,” he said. “Football has lost a great servant today and our sincere condolences go to Glenn’s family and friends.”
Nigel Pearson, who worked as his assistant at Newcastle, wrote on Twitter: “When I learned today the devastating, sad news that Glenn Roeder had lost his battle with a brain tumour it stopped me in my tracks.
“Not just because we shared fun on coaching courses. Not just because he asked me to be his assistant at Newcastle United where we had incredible fun together and success. Not just because he and his family, Faith, Holly, Will and Joe welcomed my family to Newcastle and made us feel included with their genuine warmth and affection.
“All of these things, and because he was a man with incredible integrity, humility, warmth, humour and humanity. A sensitive caring man who didn’t always have as high a regard for himself as others had for him. He was loved and admired by those who worked with him. I loved working to ‘Glenn time’. Nicky, Hannah & James send their love. I’ll miss you, my friend.”
Former Magpies goalkeeper Tim Krul added: “So sad to hear the news that Glenn Roeder passed away. The man who believed in me and who gave me my NUFC debut. Rest in peace.”
Roeder also enjoyed a high-profile playing career, starting out with Leyton Orient and going on to make 561 professional appearances for seven clubs.
As a coach, he worked under Glenn Hoddle with England before returning to domestic football with West Ham.
Roeder’s last stint in management came with Norwich City and he left Carrow Road in 2009. He went on to work with Sheffield Wednesday and Stevenage in an advisory role.
Gary Lineker added his own tribute to a “real football man who had a great career both on the field and in the dugout. RIP.”
More on the Premier League
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Tottenham have finally found their front four – what was Jose Mourinho waiting for?
Jonathan Van-Tam warned last week that racing into a lead can be a dangerous strategy. Not so, when Gareth Bale is playing close to his potential.
The sight of the Welshman playing alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-min was one of the main appeals of his return to north London and it took just 75 seconds for him to combine with the South Korean to ease past Nick Pope for the opening goal of Tottenham’s 4-0 win over Burnley.
Spurs’ attacking quartet – their star trio plus Lucas Moura – was new. Even Bale, Son and Kane had only started one Premier League match together previously, a 1-0 victory away to West Brom in November.
Burnley goalkeeper Pope, who with unfortunate timing earlier this week, Sean Dyche had joked he would swap with Daniel Levy in return for a pint and a packet of crisps, was rooted to the ground for the opener and would go on to concede three more.
After Bale had put his side in cruise control, his long-range pass led to Kane’s 14th goal of the season. The striker has now been involved in 25 league goals in 2020-21 (14 goals, 11 assists).
Meanwhile Moura, who scored his side’s third after a deflection took Sergio Reguilon’s cross into his path, excelled as a number 10, his runs searching and his pace causing problems.
The Brazilian deserved a goal for his work ethic, but Son was equally relentless, Tottenham’s unsung hero of the afternoon, in fact.
Bale’s second was powered past Pope from a similar position and at the same end as his strike in the 4-0 win over Wolfsberg in the Europa League on Wednesday, but it was owed to Son’s tireless sprints, and a classy touch with the outside of his boot, which stretched a chaotic Burnley defence.
Jose Mourinho tried his front four together for 70 minutes, before eventually replacing Bale with Erik Lamela.
“I’m happy that I have them [Bale, Kane and Son] back, all of them, but it’s not just training, it’s back to a certain level,” the Tottenham boss said.
In a more fortuitous season, perhaps he would have already had plenty of chances to see his best side on paper. Kane’s ankle injuries, and a host of fitness problems for Bale, have prevented that, but there is also a counter-argument about whether they should be Mourinho’s go-to options.
In games dominated by counter-pressing, when Spurs cannot expect to have so much of the ball – such as in the recent 3-0 defeat to Manchester City – these free-finishing, effortless counter-attacks might not carry such potency.
That is what Mourinho will have to ponder anew as he welcomes the headache of having a fit – and in form – Bale back in his ranks. There has been confusion too, surrounding just how fit the number nine actually is.
He has, on occasion, disagreed with his manager on that issue, notably prior to the FA Cup exit at Everton when the forward’s social media activity seemed to contradict Mourinho’s claims that he had suffered an injury in training.
The return of full-backs Reguilon and Serge Aurier, in for Ben Davies and Matt Doherty, also provided more width and a midfield two of Tanguy Ndombele and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg dominated the Clarets, with Josh Brownhill once again far less effective out wide.
In defence, Davinson Sanchez benefited from the added security of playing alongside Toby Alderweireld and Mourinho praised the Colombian for a “very dominant” and “very fresh” performance, having rested him in the Europa League in midweek.
That label could have applied to most of Spurs’ players, Dele Alli enjoying an impressive cameo from the bench and beginning a move that was nearly finished by Son.
It was a pity, from Pope’s point of view, that he made his two best saves when his side were already 4-0 down, also stopping Kane with one hand at full stretch.
Even if Mourinho is unable to ever quite rediscover the Tottenham of old, then at least this was reminiscent of the potent, counter-attacking force who were being tipped as title contenders as recently as December. Bale might have played his part in that effort even earlier, having spent most of the season in a bit-part role, but he is at least now looking well worth his wages – well, the half Spurs pay, at any rate.
It has taken six months, but Tottenham may have stumbled into a special attack – what was Mourinho waiting for?
Follow i sport on Facebook for the latest Tottenham news, interviews and features
More on Tottenham
- Daniel Storey: Loyalty the only logical reason for Kane to stay at declining Spurs
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- How Mourinho can turn Spurs into title contenders
- Winks exclusive: ‘Xavi and Iniesta comparisons are nice – but I need to improve’
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Sparks fly at Stamford Bridge as VAR drama breathes life into Chelsea and United’s stalemate
Cancel culture? Yes if we are talking penalties. But not in a way that drained the spectacle of life. VAR clobbered Manchester United with the denial of a stout penalty claim and gave the contest its talking point. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer cried foul. Thomas Tuchel wondered why the referee needed VAR to establish innocence.
This was the meat, and the heat of it. Callum Hudson-Odoi’s hand came into contact with the ball under a challenge from Mason Greenwood in the 16th minute. The incident framed the tension of the age, the application of VAR and its prosecution of handball decisions. The old red in the Sky commentary box, Gary Neville, advised that it would have been given earlier in the season.
Leading the anti-red faction, former Arsenal full-back Lee Dixon informed his American cable audience that if it’s a penalty the game has gone. Social media frothed commensurately and Tuchel got shirty with Solskjaer on the touchline. Who needs goals to get a party started?
The game crackled with intent, Chelsea seeking to halve the six point gap to United, who in turn recognised the importance of the cushion with a visit to Manchester City looming next weekend. Thus did the match proceed with noses pushed against each other, not an inch given.
The absence of goal-mouth action was a testament to the organisation and commitment of both teams and the failure of the poster boys in red and blue to distinguish themselves. United defended higher and pressed, which is itself an evolution against top-six opposition, a sign that under Solskjaer they are beginning to develop method and understanding, but not yet reliable cutting edge.
They were helped by the absence of Anthony Martial, who, for all his talent, does not have the psyche to bring it to bear at these elevations. Solskjaer anchored his front three around Mason Greenwood instead, a player more given to aggression, and returned Marcus Rashford to his favoured left while persisting with Dan James on the right.
After being penned in by Chelsea’s vigorous start, United finished the first half in the ascendency but the more temperature they brought in the vicinity of the opponent’s goal, the quicker space evaporated.
The early momentum in the second half was again with Chelsea. A break down the left by Ben Chilwell fed Hakim Ziyech, who brought a terrific stop from David de Gea. The ball rebounded to James, who evinced from the redoubtable Luke Shaw an equally remarkable block. United could barely breathe, such was the grip Chelsea held on the game in the opening 15 minutes of the half.
As if coming up for air, United broke on the hour, exploding forward with characteristic pace. Rashford sent Luke Shaw to the byline. His cross panicked the Chelsea defence, the ball broke to Scott McTominay, whose clean strike stung the hands of Edouard Mendy. United were off the ropes, the next ten minutes comfortably theirs.
Mendy spilled a cross from James that might have been costly had Greenwood not been on his heals. With 12 minutes remaining Tuchel sent on Timo Werner for Ziyech. The game was becoming stretched and United’s midfield overworked as they scrambled to resist Chelsea’s lust for all three points. Chelsea pressed but were also lucky not to be pinged on the break. Story of a goalless ding-dong.
Follow i sport on Facebook for more Man Utd news, interviews and features
More on Man Utd
- Big players need to step up or Ole will go the same way as McGuinness
- The making of the Man Utd star who never forgot his roots
- New signing ‘plays like Messi’ – and could be perfect fit for Solskjaer’s system
- Why United are prepared to play the long-game in pursuit of Sancho
- Kevin Garside: Well done to Chadwick for reminding us all to be kind
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Luke Shaw reveals what Harry Maguire was told by Stuart Attwell after Man Utd denied penalty at Chelsea
Luke Shaw has claimed referee Stuart Attwell told his Manchester United teammate Harry Maguire he declined to award a penalty against Chelsea for an apparent handball because “it’s going to cause a lot of talk about it afterwards”.
Video replays appeared to show Callum Hudson-Odoi handling the ball in United’s penalty area while he battled for possession with Mason Greenwood.
Referee Attwell was eventually called over to look at the VAR monitor but upon seeing the replays, stuck by his original decision not to award a penalty.
Shaw made the claim after the final whistle of United’s goalless encounter with the Blues at Stamford Bridge. The incident took place during a less-than-action-packed first half and after the VAR check the left-back says Attwell spoke to Maguire.
“At the time I saw a handball. I didn’t know if it was Mason Greenwood or Callum Hudson-Odoi. I just carried on,” Shaw told Sky Sports.
“I didn’t even know there was a VAR check. I don’t know why they stopped it. If it was a penalty… but if they didn’t think it was a penalty I don’t know why they needed to stop.
“The referee even said to H (Maguire), I heard him say, ‘if I say it’s a penalty then it’s going to cause a lot of talk about it afterwards.’ So I don’t know what happened there.
“(Maguire) said they got told it was a penalty. They got told it was a penalty by VAR so… I’m not sure. I don’t understand. If he’s going to stop then you think he is going to give a penalty. We had the ball, we were attacking so it’s confusing with this VAR.
“If it’s not going to be a penalty they might as well just carry on the game and not stop the flow of the game. It was another one, that look, I’m not going to moan about it because I don’t think either team did enough to win.”
The Premier League declined i‘s request to offer their version of events.
But the decision not to award a penalty left United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer furious at full time.
“Yep. One hundred per cent. No idea [why it wasn’t given], none whatsoever. Not at all. Especially when he stops [the game] and he walks across to watch it. From here, you can see it’s a handball but you think it’s our player who does it and then when you look at it on the video, it’s taken two points away from us.”
Solskjaer then went on to claim that pressure had been put on Attwell from “outside influences” before the match.
“It’s all these outside influences, even the VAR talk here before the game with Harry, that’s cheeky when they [Chelsea] put that on their website, that’s influencing referees,” he said.
“You can go back and look at the website. You can read it, what they’re saying about all the controversy with Harry Maguire and putting pressure on the referees to give penalties against us.
Solskjaer was seemingly referring to part of a match preview article on the Blues website that reads: “In recent Chelsea meetings the Red Devils’ centre-back has survived VAR reviews of a potential penalty foul on Cesar Azpilicueta and violent challenge on Michy Batshuayi that may well have affected the outcome.”
Follow i sport on Facebook for more Man Utd news, interviews and features
More on Man Utd
- Big players need to step up or Ole will go the same way as McGuinness
- The making of the Man Utd star who never forgot his roots
- New signing ‘plays like Messi’ – and could be perfect fit for Solskjaer’s system
- Why United are prepared to play the long-game in pursuit of Sancho
- Kevin Garside: Well done to Chadwick for reminding us all to be kind
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Chelsea 0-0 Man Utd: Player ratings as Hudson-Odoi struggles, Fred shines and De Gea saves the day
If there was one thing we learned from the last time Chelsea and Manchester United played each other – back in October when the teams shared just five shots on target between them – it was that we were likely to be low on goals on Sunday afternoon.
Indeed, bar a controversial VAR decision and a strong palm from David De Gea, there was very little of note on the showreel for Match Of The Day’s editors to splice up here.
A dour goalless draw, more entertaining than when these sides last met, but still the first back-to-back 0-0s in a single league season between United and Chelsea since September 1921.
Drama was thin on the ground but both managers will be pleased with how their defences performed in west London. Here, i looks at the five key displays from this most predictable of Premier League ties…
Olivier Giroud 4/10
When Thomas Tuchel looks back at this game he may well wonder why he didn’t start Timo Werner. Against a Manchester United defence that Harry Maguire commands with barking authority, having a create presence like Werner to carry the ball forwards and meet the back line head on could have unlocked this game.
But Tuchel stuck with Giroud – the go-to man when Chelsea are in need of a goal either in the Premier League or Europe. Could the 34-year-old match up against Maguire and Victor Lindelof and draw Chelsea’s midfield into the action?
Sadly for Tuchel, no. Giroud had a largely ineffectual game and in fact received possession just three times in the opposition box. He had more touches (17) in Chelsea’s half than his own (15), with the hosts struggling to make use of his presence.
Giroud was withdrawn for Christian Pulisic on 65 minutes and after that the game opened up somewhat.
David De Gea 7/10
When a goalkeeper has very little to do all day it can sometimes catch them off-guard when a shot comes in from nowhere. Thankfully for United De Gea was there to parry Hakim Ziyech’s effort just after the break and clear the danger.
De Gea has enjoyed a reasonably strong campaign between the sticks at United, especially by his standards. His career with the club has swung between periods of intense scrutiny and total obscurity. It is those latter periods that United profit from the Spaniard, when De Gea is utterly solid and commanding in his area.
It wasn’t so long ago that his mistake cost United victory over Everton and surrendered two points in the title race that Manchester City have now realistically won.
Sunday was a much better performance, one where you don’t notice the goalkeeper and when he is needed, he delivers. Chelsea never seemed likely to score.
Ben Chilwell 7/10
Much of Chelsea’s attacking threat when it wasn’t coming from the set-piece was instigated via Chilwell.
The summer signing from Leicester came into the XI as a replacement for Marcos Alonso and was a persistent issue for United down that flank.
Chilwell set up Ziyech for the best opening of the game early in the second half and was usually seen creeping into United’s half to offer an option on the whitewash.
He was booked for a swiping challenge on Mason Greenwood that had the England man clutching his ankle. It was a rare moment when Chilwell wasn’t up to speed with the game.
Fred 7/10
Boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer chose to start a number of players at Stamford Bridge who would not get into most peoples’ Manchester United XI when the whole squad is fit.
Daniel James, Mason Greenwood and Fred all have players who arguably stand ahead of them in the squad. But any team that wants to challenge for league titles needs depth – and in Fred the boss is getting just that.
Fred’s season has blown hot and cold but the absence of Paul Pogba through injury means the 27-year-old has been used more than one would have expected at the start of the campaign. On Sunday he linked up well with Scott McTominay to nullify Chelsea’s supply to Giroud.
Granted, he was never going to be the one to win United the game – although a shot at the edge of the area did fly just wide. Instead Fred’s presence was enough for Chelsea to cut back or slow down play – and this was partially how the visitors stifled their hosts for so long.
Callum Hudson-Odoi 5/10
Having somehow escaped conceding a penalty for what looked like a clear-cut handball that was denied despite Stuart Attwell checking the VAR monitor, Callum Hudson-Odoi endured a mixed first half that resulted in him eventually being substituted at the break.
The winger produced a rare shot towards United’s goal after his let-off but was too often pegged back by the opposition bombing forward.
An ineffectual display, he was replaced by Reece James at the start of the second half.
Follow i sport on Facebook for more Man Utd news, interviews and features
More on Man Utd
- Big players need to step up or Ole will go the same way as McGuinness
- The making of the Man Utd star who never forgot his roots
- New signing ‘plays like Messi’ – and could be perfect fit for Solskjaer’s system
- Why United are prepared to play the long-game in pursuit of Sancho
- Kevin Garside: Well done to Chadwick for reminding us all to be kind
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Gareth Bale seems to have won Jose Mourinho’s trust again: ‘He knows his body better than anyone’
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM– Jose Mourinho insisted “there is not one single manager in the world who does not play Gareth Bale if he is in good condition” after his two goals and an assist in Tottenham’s 4-0 win over Burnley.
Bale opened the scoring after just 75 seconds, ghosting his way into the box to fool a standstill Nick Pope. Having set Spurs on their way, the Welshman then turned provider for Harry Kane, launching a cross-field ball which sent the striker on a run from within his own half to the Burnley box.
Before shooting, it took the striker just three touches from when he was released to the moment he had scored his 14th goal of the Premier League season.
Lucas Moura added a third shortly after the half-hour mark, a slight deflection guiding Sergio Reguilon’s cross into the Brazilian’s path.
Bale added his second, and Spurs’ fourth, at the same end after latching onto Son Heung-min’s sprint. That might raise questions of whether the 31-year-old will start again in the upcoming games against Fulham and Crystal Palace, but Mourinho stressed he will need to be managed carefully.
“Gareth is a very experienced guy he knows his body better than anyone,” he added. “It would be very nice for me to say I handled the situation well…I’m not that kind of guy. He knows his body very well.
“Day after day, his experience and knowledge of his body and his feelings are going to be fundamental. A player that gives me this kind of performance, of course I want to play him Thursday and Sunday and next week against Dinamo Zagreb, but I don’t think I can.”
Spurs’ on-field sense of urgency in recent weeks has not always matched the feeling in recent weeks that something needed to change quickly. That changed thanks to Bale’s early goal, a touch which defined his afternoon – effortless, confident, at times even nonchalant.
If expectations of him returning to his 2013 levels, the form which earned him a then world record move to Real Madrid, were always unrealistic, then at least he is finally delivering what Spurs signed him for.
Whisper it quietly, but Bale might be back after all.
Follow i sport on Facebook for the latest Tottenham news, interviews and features
More on Tottenham
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Callum Hudson-Odoi handball: Why Man Utd were not given a penalty after ball struck Chelsea winger’s hand
Manchester United were denied what appeared to be a sure penalty in their clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge after a bit of ball-juggling between Mason Greenwood and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
In a first half bereft of chances, the biggest talking point came 15 minutes in when Hudson-Odoi and Greenwood battled for possession after Edouard Mendy had punched away a Marcus Rashford free-kick.
The Chelsea winger appeared to touch the ball with his hand as it spun away from Greenwood, who himself saw the ball drop on his arm. The danger was eventually cleared.
The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) check seemed to focus on Hudson-Odoi’s initial infringement and play was eventually paused for referee Stuart Attwell to head over to the pitch-side monitor for a look himself.
But despite replaying the event numerous times on the TV screen, Attwell decided against awarding a penalty. He was spotted speaking to United captain Harry Maguire before restarting play.
In a statement, the Premier League told i: “The VAR asked the referee to look at the incident again, but he stuck to his on-field decision as felt that Hudson-Odoi didn’t move his hand towards the ball.”
VAR has proved contentious since it was introduced to the Premier League for the start of the 2019-20 season. A number of seemingly innocuous handball incidents caused the League to look at the ruling and its 20 member clubs agreed to a change at the start of the season.
“More emphasis will now be put on what a player’s “expected” arm position is when the ball strikes him, and the time they have to react. The “softened approach” will apply from Matchweek 4,” the Premier League said back in October.
Sky Sports co-commentator Gary Neville, noticing the Chelsea player’s concern that a penalty might be given said: “Hudson-Odoi’s panic is the fact that his arm shouldn’t be there.
“There’s no doubt two or three months ago that’s a penalty – and there’s no doubt the referee would have abided by the referral.
“But the referees are more bold and the handball laws are being changed in front of our eyes as the season goes along.”
At half-time, pundit Roy Keane said: “We’ve seen these given before. He does put his hand up towards the ball, there’s no getting away from it. We’ve seen them given. We don’t want to be seeing penalties for this but he does raise his hand.”
And former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink added: “I do think Hudson is a lucky boy. Should it be a penalty? I don’t think so. But just because of what the rules are. His hand is in an unnatural position. We’ve seen them being given this season. You have to be consistent and in a way he’s a lucky boy.”
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Harvey Barnes injury: England concern for Leicester star after knee injury suffered in Arsenal clash
Harvey Barnes suffered what looked like a concerning knee injury in Leicester’s Premier League defeat to Arsenal on Sunday that throws into question his availability for upcoming England matches as well as this summer’s European Championships.
Barnes went down after overstretching his knee to collect a pass from Youri Tielemans as Leicester started the second half 2-1 down to the Gunners.
The playmaker, who has been a central figure of Leicester’s top-four push and Europa League campaign this season, came off on a stretcher with his knee in a brace.
He was replaced by Cengiz Under and moments later Arsenal scored a third at the King Power Stadium.
Losing Barnes to what could be a serious knee injury will be a major blow to Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers – particularly as James Maddison, another energetic creative presence in the Leicester forward line, is also currently injured.
Rodgers has based much of Leicester’s attacking success on the duo playing behind and supporting main striker Jamie Vardy, who at 34 is perhaps showing signs of age during this most gruelling of congested seasons, with one goal to his name since Christmas.
The boss opted to start Vardy alongside Kelechi Iheanacho on Sunday in a tweak to his usual four-pronged attacked – the change having come about following Thursday’s miserable display that saw Leicester knocked out of the Europa League.
Leicester injury list:
- James Justin – Knee. Return date unknown
- Wesley Fofana – Thigh. Expected back mid-March
- Dennis Praet – Thigh. Expected back mid-March
- James Maddison – Hip. Return date unknown
- Ayoze Perez – Knee. Expected back mid-March
- Wes Morgan – Back. Return date unknown
- Harvey Barnes – Knee. Subbed off against Arsenal
- Jonny Evans – Unknown. Subbed off against Arsenal
Losing Maddison, who is not expected to have surgery on a hip injury but will instead take his time recovering, is one thing for Rodgers. But the prospect of having 23-year-old Barnes – a player who boasts seven goals since Boxing Day – sidelined is a major headache.
After all, the pair aren’t the only absentees the manager is dealing with. Ayoze Perez, Wesley Fofana, Wes Morgan and Dennis Praet aren’t expected to return to full fitness until mid-March. James Justin is a longer-term absentee. And Jonny Evans lasted 69 minutes on Sunday before he was also taken off.
Plenty of Premier League teams have battled through injury crises this season, brought on by the congested fixture lists that coronavirus enforced on the national game. Liverpool have barely had the opportunity to field their all strength title-winning squad this season, while Crystal Palace have had half a first team out at some point or another for much of the campaign. Three of Leeds’ four major summer signings have spent months combined in the physio room and Sheffield United’s already threadbare squad has struggled with the rigours of back-to-back Premier League campaigns.
There will be little sympathy for Leicester from other clubs in the top flight, yet the feeling among Foxes supporters should well be one of concern. Losing Barnes piles extra pressure on Vardy, Iheanacho, Under and Marc Albrighton to deliver the goals heading into the business end of the season. Leicester don’t have the sapping distraction of the Europa League anymore, but the battle for a top-four finish is wide open.
West Ham are in good form, Chelsea are resurgent under Thomas Tuchel, Liverpool cannot be written off despite their recent slump, and the likes of Everton and Aston Villa will be eyeing those Champions League spots with more than just wishful thinking.
Leicester’s upcoming fixtures could make or break their season: Burnley and Brighton away, Sheffield United at home. Rodgers needs maximum points from these encounters more than ever, to create a cushion soft enough to then tackle Manchester City and West Ham in April. Their final three fixtures are against Manchester United, Chelsea and Spurs – a horrendous run-in for any team but made worse when it comes at the end of a season that followed on almost immediately from the last, included eight effectively meaningless European ties and ravaged the squad in the process.
As for Barnes, the one-cap England international was surely hoping to stake a claim for his country’s Euro 2020 squad this summer. Gareth Southgate is monitoring a hoard of young talent every weekend, sat from his lonely position in the stands of various Premier League grounds. The group stage starts with a clash against Croatia on 13 June – a date that may, sadly, prove too soon for Barnes.
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Show HN: QueryCal – calculate metrics from your calendars using SQL
Show HN: QueryCal – calculate metrics from your calendars using SQL
2 by bradleyjkemp | 1 comments on Hacker News.
2 by bradleyjkemp | 1 comments on Hacker News.
Show HN: I make list of tool to decor your GitHub readme
Show HN: I make list of tool to decor your GitHub readme
2 by hdcompany123 | 0 comments on Hacker News.
2 by hdcompany123 | 0 comments on Hacker News.
Neville Southall: I received death threats in the post – now the keyboard cowards have taken abuse online
When I read about the abuse of footballers today it makes me think that nothing’s changed fundamentally – it’s simply a case of social media taking over from the old voice on the terrace or the anonymous letters that players used to get. It has always been around, sadly. After all, in sport people judge you all the time. In the old days, fans would work hard all week, go into the ground smashed, slate somebody … and then go home happy. What that did to the person on the receiving end wasn’t in anybody’s mind.
I remember somebody in the crowd having a go at me once when we were losing a game at Everton and I told him to f**k off. I was forced to make an apology in the paper afterwards even though I didn’t want to. My feeling was if you’re abusive to me, why can’t I have a go back? That fan might have been frustrated but I was trying my best and the last thing I needed was some clever arse in my ear telling me I was rubbish – I was going to get that message in the dressing room anyway.
As a footballer I faced abuse to my face too. When someone told me I was s**t outside the ground one day, I said, ‘Who are you talking to?’. He replied that he was talking about another of our players, Dave Watson, so I went, ‘You can’t say that about him either’ but he just walked off.
There was another time, after I’d retired, when I was sat on a train waiting to leave London late one night and some fella knocked on the window and made a wanker sign. I was alone and he was alone. Bizarre. But certainly preferable to the death threats I got through the post many years ago. That was somebody sending handwritten notes to say they’d come round and burn my house down and kill us all. Everton never took it seriously but I did. The reaction would probably be different nowadays when players are worth 50 or 100 million quid.
All of the above means I have a lot of sympathy for anyone who gets abuse. Look at Darren Drysdale, the referee who squared up to the Ipswich player Alan Judge recently. My first question is why should players be allowed to invade a referee’s personal space and shout at him? Instead, that referee has been charged with improper conduct and has no game this weekend.
It’s even worse for black players, of course. I played in the Merseyside derby when John Barnes had a banana thrown at him and that was disgusting. I remember the monkey noises too. The Kop responded by throwing leeks at me but I was lucky – I never got abused for the colour of my skin. When you look at Gareth Southgate’s England side today, they simply wouldn’t have the team they do without black players yet the abuse goes on. I do wish there was something better than taking the knee before each game as I feel the players have done their bit now. Yes, there’s been a groundswell but real change needs to come from the top. Given some of Boris Johnson’s comments in the past, I’ve no real confidence in our government, and nor in the football authorities either. I’m still waiting, for instance, for a team to be binned from a competition for racist abuse. I also wonder why a good organisation like Show Racism the Red Card is still relying on donations and not better funded.
As for how players deal with all of this, if I were advising a footballer now I’d probably get someone else to manage their Twitter account so they wouldn’t see it because social media can be the most vicious thing in the world. People seem to see it as giving them free rein to let their feelings go. Yet most of these people aren’t so much keyboard warriors as keyboard cowards. They go home, get pissed, write something ridiculous and then change their accounts. And I know from personal experience that it’s not easy reporting people for abuse – I tried once and was told the terminology used didn’t qualify.
Ultimately, Twitter is like the Argument Clinic in Monty Python. If you say it’s a great day, somebody is bound to come on and say, ‘No it’s not’. It’s like living with Mr Angry and I do feel sorry for our young people. It’s easier for me at my age because I don’t give a s**t but we live in a judgemental society and have a problem with truth and trust. What you see on the tin isn’t necessarily inside it.
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Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars: Meet Bradford’s two young co-managers out to turn the club’s fortunes around
Ryan Sparks made the call with a little trepidation.
“Mark, we have just parted company with Stuart. Will you take caretaker charge?”
And so, from there, on a bleak Sunday morning in December, the seeds were sown for the latest chapter in Bradford City’s recent turbulent history.
Sparks, 29, had become the youngest chief executive in the Football League when he succeeded Julian Rhodes at Valley Parade on 26 November.
Now here he was, ushering club legend Stuart McCall out of the door after a dismal run of six straight defeats sent the Bantams hurtling towards the bottom two in League Two.
Sparks put rookie Under-18s coaches, Mark Trueman and Conor Sellars – who recently turned 33 and 29 respectively – in joint caretaker charge.
At that point, some supporters were resigned to Bradford becoming the first former Premier League club to be relegated to non-league.
Yet in 12 games under Trueman and Sellars, results have been like Viagra.
They have conjured eight wins and three draws, prompting Sparks to this week make them permanent joint bosses on contracts until at least the end of next season.
Bradford-born Trueman recalled: “I got the call from Ryan on the Sunday morning just before the news of Stuart’s removal, asking me to take the caretaker role.
“I grabbed it with both hands but, like Conor, I didn’t think this opportunity would come so soon.
“Having been at the club for a number of years already, I had watched a lot of the first team and we got straight to work.
“Conor and I have worked together for a few years now and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
“Conor isn’t really my assistant as such, we share the workload and in football you need people you can trust.
“The trust we share is massive but I know what a good coach he is too and it was important to have him alongside me in the dug-out.”
Their first job was to convince a group of players drained of all confidence that they were the men to stop the rot and restore belief.
Trueman and Sellars played their own football in non-league and, while respected within the club, they were little known outside it.
Leeds-born Sellars was just seven when Bradford reached the Premier League under Paul Jewell in 1999.
He admits: “It was a challenge because you’ve got to try and impress the players straight away. That could be the way you talk to them, the way you run training sessions or your tactical detail.
“As long as players realise you’re there to help, develop and support them then you gain that respect. Ultimately, that’s hopefully what we’ve done.”
The duo’s reign began with a spirited midweek 1-1 draw at Crawley and three successive victories followed in an eight-game unbeaten run.
Belief grew within the Bantams’ boardroom that Trueman and Sellars might actually be the men to take the club forward.
Sparks is understood to have talks with Paul Hurst, David Flitcroft, John McGreal and two managers currently working in the EFL – but kept his power dry.
He regularly canvassed opinion on the duo among the squad and the consensus was ‘give it to Mark and Conor’.
“They quickly got themselves into pole position for the job and made it increasingly difficult to look elsewhere,” says Sparks.
“They have gained the players’ respect and they share my belief that there is no place for mediocrity.
“Like myself, their age is not an issue and I wouldn’t have cared if Mark and Conor were in their seventies.
“They understand the club’s culture, vision and true potential, so to talk about our ages is almost insulting.”
Trueman is a Bradford fan and was a regular at Valley Parade before he joined the club’s coaching staff.
“Conor and I always thought we were good enough to do the job,” adds Trueman.
“I grew up supporting Bradford and have seen the ups and downs as a fan – the Premier League days were terrific and hopefully we can eventually get back to that.
“In and around the city, it’s nice being recognised and have people stopping me and saying ‘well done lads, keep it going’.”
Bradford, who signed nine new players in January following the appointment of recruitment director Lee Turnbull, now lie just six points outside the play-offs.
There is trust and undeniable progress but Sparks cautions: “We’ve achieved nothing yet.
“From where we were in December, though, making the play-offs would be fantastic.”
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Thomas Tuchel faces biggest challenge yet at Chelsea as Man Utd fixture sparks tough run
The shortest long season ever, said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Or maybe he meant the longest short season. Or perhaps he was just trying to make conclusions about Manchester United’s visit to Chelsea impossible to draw. After all, why add voltage to the hyperbole that routinely surrounds a United trip to Stamford Bridge?
Solskjaer knows perfectly well that defeat would invite Chelsea to pour all over them in the race for Champions League qualification, especially with a trip to the Etihad on the horizon for United a week hence. Who gets a crumb of comfort against Manchester City these days?
Chelsea have every reason to pile in with fixtures against Liverpool and Everton to follow on the heels of United. Since City have made the title race an abstraction for their rivals, the top four is once again the focus of attention and where jeopardy attaches.
Chelsea trail United by six points. Thomas Tuchel, sitting on an unbeaten run of eight matches since taking over from Frank Lampard, has no interest in allowing that to become nine.
Tuchel is able to dust off his old notes on United having played them twice in the Champions League group stage this season. Victory at Old Trafford after losing the opening fixture in Paris all but guaranteed PSG’s progression to the knockout stages, for all the good it did him.
“They like to have space and play on the counter,” he said, giving the impression he was bringing forth a straight translation of his French team-talks. “They like to use their speed and absorb yours. It helps to have played them in the Champions League.
“We will use that knowledge to prepare our team. But we won’t show pictures from those games. We will focus on us and what we want to do. It’s a big challenge to be the first to beat them and end their run of (unbeaten) away games.”
The control is all Tuchel’s at this point. He charms with the breezy openness of a university lecturer and treats questions with a warm embrace. It was the same with Solskjaer, who won his opening eight games and ten of the first 11 as caretaker manager after stepping into the breach left by Jose Mourinho in December 2018. It has taken until now, after an unconvincing middle sector, for Solskjaer to wrestle back a semblance of authority in the role.
Tuchel is still dabbling with selections. However, the victory over Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League last 16 added a layer of weight to the proposition, identifying his Chelsea as a well-organised unit difficult to beat. He has yet to identify his Eden Hazard, an accelerator capable of destroying teams on his own. Perhaps he is just a Christian Pulisic selection from finding his man.
Tuchel admits that keeping those not selected is a key part of forging the unity that he is looking for at Chelsea. “It is a challenge as a coach to not lose the connection to the guys who do not play so much,” he said.
“I follow my intuition. I don’t follow a leadership book. It is important to keep the connection as a coach to the group, to keep a trust that keeps us going. This is the challenge. A little luck with decisions and results also helps.”
While touchy-feely Tuchel is a welcome upgrade on some former incumbents, a sympathetic ear is only a temporary solution and will not appease for ever those yet to break into the inner circle.
You feel the match against United represents a step up in difficulty as well as focus and as such might be seen as the end of the beginning. It feels like Tuchel senses this too.
“The big games are always the next game. There are special fixtures, a London derby, Champions League against (Atletico) Madrid,” he said.
“Now it is Man United, Liverpool and Everton in the league, a series of big fixtures and big teams. This is why we are here. (So far) it is not a pleasure to play against us but the picture is not finished.”
Spoken like the optimist he is, like Lampard was. The mistake is to believe there is a picture to finish. That’s just the illusion Roman sells.
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Liverpool transfer plans underway while Jurgen Klopp admits ‘dirty work’ is needed to be ready for next title race
Jurgen Klopp already has one eye on making what he describes as “re-adjustments” for next season while trying to salvage a top-four place out of Liverpool’s current traumatic campaign.
The Merseyside club’s seemingly never-ending list of woes continued with the news that skipper Jordan Henderson has had surgery on a groin injury that will keep him out until April.
It comes on top of the sudden death of goalkeeper Alisson Becker‘s father in a swimming accident which has cast doubts whether the Brazilian No 1 will play at Sheffield United on Sunday.
A dismal run of only nine points from a possible 33 has left last season’s Premier League champions in sixth place and in danger of failing to qualify for the Champions League, unless of course they win Europe’s biggest club prize for a seventh time this season.
While Klopp does not believe his squad needs a major overhaul, he is looking to tweak it after an injury-plagued season has wrecked their hopes of winning back-to-back titles.
“I don’t think it is time for a massive rebuild like how I understand it: six, seven out, running contracts but trying to get rid of them and bring in all the new faces,” he said.
“The squad of this year didn’t have the chance to play together one time really. I think it would make sense to have a look at that but on top of that of course little re-adjustments will happen.
“So we’re reacting to the situation but planning at the same time for the future. I am not sure we can do that in the summer but that is what we will try.”
Klopp’s immediate task is to end a run of four successive league defeats and guide Liverpool back into the top four, which he admits will be a huge achievement considering the competition from other clubs and with his defensive options limited further by the injury suffered by captain Henderson in last weekend’s Merseyside derby loss.
“If we were to do it in the end [finish in the top four] it would be big,” he added. “Absolutely. You can see the competitors – City, we don’t need to talk about, United, Chelsea, Leicester, West Ham are in and around us. Tottenham have had similar problems to us, Arsenal as well, so there is a distance for us to go. It is a big challenge.
“We try with all we have to sort it and while you try and sort one problem another problem occurs. That is how it is. It is about what we can bring on the pitch still. It is all about results. The table doesn’t lie. Never. That is completely fine. We know that points wise we are not that far away but results wise we are. That is what we have to change.”
Klopp remains undaunted by the job of turning round the club’s fortunes and insists that overall performances have been better than results, while admitting Liverpool have to be more clinical.
“There is no lack of motivation,” he said. “A difficult situation always fired me up rather than the other way round. It’s clear that winning game after game is nicer but maybe an important message at this time is that we are still Liverpool and that is what I love, what I know, and that of course gives me energy.
“I am not here only for the big celebrations, I am here for the work. And if it is the dirty work, the hard work, no problem. I am massively responsible for the situation we are in and a big part of it. Some parts not, we have no influence on that, but it means now I have to make good decisions, better decisions if necessary. And on the pitch we have to be more clinical, that is clear as well, and we work on that.”
Klopp refused to comment on whether Alisson will play on Sunday while suggesting Henderson may only be fit for the final few games of the season after having surgery on an abductor muscle.
But the positive news is that Diogo Jota – out for three months with a knee injury – is fit and “looking good” in training. And Fabinho, who has missed seven games, will re-join team training today, along with James Milner. Both could be involved at Bramall Lane.
Probable Liverpool team (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Phillips, Fabinho, Robertson; Milner, Thiago, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane.
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Europa League draw: Full fixture list, and who Man Utd, Arsenal, Rangers and Tottenham will play in last-16
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will face his former club Manchester United in the last-16 of the Europa League after Milan were drawn against the Red Devils in Friday’s draw.
Ibrahimovic won the Europa League with United back in 2017 and the veteran is still going strong in Italy.
Arsenal are down to play Olympiacos – the team who knocked them out of this competition at the last-32 stage a year ago.
Tottenham fly to Croatia in the first leg to face Dynamo Zagreb, while Rangers will go head-to-head with Slavia Prague over the two ties next month.
Slavia beat Leicester 2-0 on Thursday night to book their place in the last-16 and restricted the Premier League high-flyers to just a handful of chances over two legs.
No fans will be permitted into any of the British ties as the UK continues to implement social distancing to combat the coronavirus.
And there is the possibility that some matches could be moved to different venues – as was the case with both of Arsenal’s last-32 legs against Benfica this month – should travel restrictions in certain countries be in place.
Europa League draw: Full fixture list for last-16 ties
- Ajax vs Young Boys
- Dynamo Kiev vs Villarreal
- Roma vs Shakhtar Donetsk
- Olympiacos vs Arsenal
- Dynamo Zagreb vs Tottenham
- Manchester United vs Milan
- Slavia Prague vs Rangers
- Granada vs Molde
Manchester United
Ibrahimovic will be warmly received back at Old Trafford when his Milan side rock-up in Manchester – assuming travel restrictions don’t force the tie to be moved to a neutral venue.
The Swede has cult status in the red half of Manchester after an impactful two years at the club, where he won both the Europa League and League Cup.
He left the club for LA Galaxy in 2018 and last year moved back to Europe to join another former side in Milan. This season Ibrahimovic has scored 14 goals in Serie A but just once in Europe.
It was a smooth ride into the last-16 for Manchester United after they did the hard part of their two-legged round-of-32 encounter with Real Sociedad in the first encounter last week.
United won that tie in Spain 4-0 thanks to two goals from Bruno Fernandes and strikes via Marcus Rashford and Daniel James. Thursday saw them grind out a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford to safely progress, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer naming a partially-changed XI.
“We are a group that are very tight together,” the boss said. “You come in, you work every day, you have a few setbacks and knocks.
“We want to go further but when you have failed before you want to do better. The culture is really improving and we’ve got some fantastic players and fantastic coaches.”
Arsenal
The Gunners had a less easy time of it than United in their two-legged affair with Benfica over the past week. Both ties were played on natural grounds but away goals still counted.
It meant that Arsenal were on the verge of crashing out of the tournament 3-3 on aggregate by virtue or two “away” Benfica goals scored in Greece’s Karaiskakis Stadium, before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang popped up with a late winner to send the Londoners through.
“Everyone is happy tonight. This is what gives me power every day, take errors from the past and transform to strength,” said Aubameyang after the game.
“The team showed a lot of character and we deserved the win. It was a hard game.
“What we showed tonight will be an example for the future.”
As for away goals, Mikel Arteta will be well aware that it was this narrow margin that knocked Arsenal out of the competition at the hands of Olympiacos a year ago.
Arsenal surrendered a 1-0 first-leg advantage to lose 2-1 at the Emirates, with Youssef El Arabi scoring in the last minute of extra time.
Tottenham
Jose Mourinho has the League Cup and Europa League to fight for this season and Tottenham made easy work of Austrian side Wolfsberger over two legs, winning the last-32 clash 8-1 on aggregate.
The boss was able to rest some of his players that limped to a 2-1 loss to West Ham at the weekend, with Dele Alli, Carlos Vinicius and Gareth Bale getting on the scoresheet on Wednesday night.
“It was good, we got through,” said Mourinho.
“We won the match like we wanted and no (there was) need for the emergency plan, we played well for large periods and all four goals were beautiful.”
Spurs last faced Dynamo Zagreb in the UEFA Cup back in 2008, where Darren Bent scored a hat-trick in a thumping 4-0 victory.
Zagreb are currently top of the Czech league – locked on points with Osijek – and beat FK Krasnodar 4-2 on aggregate to reach the last-16 of the Europa League.
Rangers
Perhaps the most emphatic victory in the last-32 came from Glasgow, where Rangers beat Antwerp 9-5 over two legs, which included Thursday’s 5-2 thriller at Ibrox.
Gers boss Steven Gerrard is already on course to steer the club to a first Scottish Premiership title since 2011. And the manager said: “I’m very satisfied, the performance was outstanding in a lot of areas. The first three were top high-level goals. But, as a perfectionist, we still have to look at the areas we went wrong tonight.”
Rangers reached the last-16 of the Europa League last season before being dumped out by Bayer Leverkusen. In Slavia Prague they face just as tough a test this spring as they did a year ago.
Slavia stifled Leicester’s usually tub-thumping attack over two legs and goals from Lukas Provod and 19-year-old Abdallah Sima were enough to ease them past the Foxes.
Sima, from Senegal, is one of the most in-form strikers in Europe right now and boasts 14 goals from his last 17 club appearances.
How the Europa League last-16 draw works
There are 16 teams in this round of the competition and UEFA have confirmed that there is no seeding at this stage.
That means anyone can face anyone, and there is no preferential treatment via UEFA coefficients as to which team plays their first legs away from home.
UEFA had also confirmed that there would be fixture changes if there were stadium or city clashes – something that could impact on Arsenal and Tottenham is they are both drawn at home on the same night.
With regards to coronavirus restrictions, clubs have until Monday to notify UEFA of any issues about staging games.
The first legs will be played on Thursday 11 March, with the second legs scheduled for a week later on Thursday 18 March.
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