Category: RSS English

Burnley boss Sean Dyche has expressed his admiration for Jamie Vardy and the “big gamble” that took the striker to Leicester seven years ago.

Vardy joined the Foxes for a fee believed to be in the region of £1million in May 2012 after helping Fleetwood win what is now known as the National League.

The 32-year-old has gone on to score over 100 goals for Leicester, star in their unforgettable Premier League title triumph of 2015-16 and play 26 times for England.

Dyche had a year-long stint in charge at Watford – his first managerial role – finish in July 2012 before becoming Burnley boss in October.

At his press conference ahead of the Clarets’ trip to Leicester on Saturday, Dyche spoke about Vardy and Burnley forward Ashley Barnes, another player who has gone from non-league to the top flight.

Regarding the former, he said: “Leicester (who were, like Burnley and Watford, a Championship club at the time) took a big gamble. I think (then Leicester boss) Nigel Pearson paid a million quid at the time, and that is out of non-league.

“We (Watford) were in for him – but we were in for him for about two-and-a-half quid I think! We offered £2.97 and some boots, some balls and bibs at the time! No, it was a lot of money, but the risk has paid off tenfold, or however many fold.

“Let me make it clear – we were distantly in for him. Trust me, the figure never got anywhere near a moment in time that we were going to sign him, not even close.

“We were among a number of clubs who went, ‘really like that, could we achieve that?’ It was very quick, ‘no’. Because at that time the club certainly wasn’t spending a lot of money. So it was a very quick ‘no’.”

When asked what he had seen in Vardy at that point, Dyche said: “What you see now. Pace, movement, an eye for goal obviously, and there is a hardiness to his character, and I think Barnesy has got it as well.

“He has obviously polished it, but the movement, the pace and that will to score a goal, a real demand to score a goal – you can almost sense it on him.

“There were strong signs that he had a lot to offer and he has polished up accordingly, both from him himself and the varying coaching staffs and people he has worked with.

“I think it was Nigel really – Nigel signed him – or their system. Nigel worked with him and managed to start the process of him getting the best out of himself, or the coaches getting the best out of him.”

Vardy has scored five league goals this season, while Barnes – who is a doubt for Saturday’s match due to a groin issue – has netted four.

Dyche said: “He (Vardy) has had his fair share of things that didn’t go his way, but he keeps earning the right to make it go his way, and I think Barnesy is the same. They continually earn the right to push their careers, and I think that is a brilliant thing for anyone to look at.

“Certainly if I was a non-league player, or lower-league player, I’d be looking at it and thinking, ‘it can be done’, because those two are living proof of it, and continue to be.”

Enda Stevens has challenged the Republic of Ireland to keep skipper Seamus Coleman’s Euro 2020 dream alive in his absence when they face Denmark in a winner-takes-all shoot-out next month.

The Republic will lower the curtain on their Group D campaign against familiar foes at the Aviva Stadium on a night when victory would almost certainly send them to the finals.

However, they will have to achieve it without 31-year-old Everton full-back Coleman, who will be suspended following his dismissal for two bookable offences in Tuesday night’s 2-0 defeat in Switzerland just 10 days after receiving his marching orders for his club at Burnley.

Asked if that could provide added motivation, Stevens said: “Yes, that’s what we’ve got to do, we’ve got to do it for each other.

“Seamus is so disappointed in there, but he’ll be the one giving us a pat on the back now against Denmark and he’ll be still leading the line for us. He’ll be cheering us on and giving us that confidence to go out and perform.”

The game will be the sixth meeting between the sides in two years, a run of fixtures which has resulted to date in four draws and a thumping 5-1 World Cup qualifier victory for the Danes in Dublin.

That has to change this time around if Ireland are to progress, and Sheffield United defender Stevens, who returned from suspension in Geneva after losing his ever-present tag for the campaign in Georgia three days earlier, is in no mood to pass up that chance.

He said: “They (Switzerland) were saying it was a cup final for them, we said it was a cup final for us tonight. Fortunately we’ve got another cup final now next.

“We would have taken one win out of two games gets you to the Euros, so we’ve got to look forward to that, and especially being at home in the Aviva Stadium.

“Hopefully we can really knuckle down and get the three points that we need.”

Ireland were under the cosh at the Stade de Geneva after Haris Seferovic had fired the home side into an early lead, but they kept themselves in the game, thanks in part to keeper Darren Randolph, who turned away a Seferovic header and then saved Ricardo Rodriguez’s 77th-minute penalty to give them hope until Shane Duffy’s late own goal ended it.

Stevens said: “He (Randolph) kept us in the game and we were pushing and pushing, and it was obviously disappointing to concede the second goal in the last minute.

“To be fair, Darren got me out of jail a few times with corners and that, so he was excellent all night. He’s been doing that at Middlesbrough all throughout the season, so you kind of expect them from him now at this stage.”

Aaron Connolly is targeting a “cup final” victory over Denmark to see the Republic of Ireland through to Euro 2020.

Tuesday night’s 2-0 Group D defeat in Switzerland dragged the home side right back into a three-horse race with Ireland and Denmark for the two automatic qualification spots and should the Swiss beat Georgia and Gibraltar next month, victory in Dublin would guarantee Mick McCarthy’s men a ticket.

Connolly, who was handed a first senior start for his country in Geneva three days after nearly winning the game on debut off the bench in Georgia, said: “It hasn’t really changed. It’s one win we need. Hopefully we can get that against Denmark and qualify – that’s the main thing.

“It’s a cup final, it’s a huge three points on the line, so there’s going to be a big push.”

The 19-year-old Brighton striker was the Republic’s brightest spark after coming on as a late substitute in Saturday’s 0-0 draw in Tbilisi, a cameo which earned him a place in the starting line-up at the Stade de Geneva.

However the Swiss, who are ranked 11th in the world, some 17 places above Ireland, demonstrated their pedigree as Haris Seferovic fired them into a 16th-minute lead they rarely looked like relinquishing, particularly after Ireland skipper Seamus Coleman had been sent off for a second bookable offence.

Connolly had departed for Scott Hogan by the time keeper Darren Randolph saved Ricardo Rodriguez’s 77th-minute penalty, awarded for handball against Coleman, and was a frustrated by-stander as Shane Duffy could only deflect substitute Edimilson Fernandes’ late shot into his own net.

Asked how big a night it had been for him, he said: “It was, but it ended in disappointment again after the last game and the missed chances.

“It’s disappointing because I felt I could have done a bit more, maybe. It’s obviously a tough night, but it’s a proud night as well.

“They are a good team. They pressed us back and it was tough for the lads to get up and play off me. I just had to do what I could, but it probably wasn’t enough. It’s a disappointing result.

“We put in a good second-half performance, I think, and maybe deserved a draw. We didn’t get that, so we just need to move on now to November, pick up the three points and then that’s all forgotten about and we qualify.”

Tyrone Mings revealed he heard racist abuse in the warm-up ahead of his England debut as a 6-0 thrashing of Bulgaria was overshadowed by abhorrent behaviour from the home fans.

There were two breaks in play during the Euro 2020 qualifier in Sofia after abuse was reported to the match officials.

Following UEFA’s anti-racism protocols, an announcement was made in the 28th minute warning fans that any further incidents could result in the match being abandoned, while there was another pause before half-time.

England decided at half-time to play the remainder of the game as braces from Ross Barkley and Raheem Sterling and goals for Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane ensured a thumping win for the visitors.

Mings was audibly targeted in the early stages of his first England cap, with television cameras picking him up asking the assistant referee if he had heard the abuse aimed in his direction.

But, speaking in the bowels of the Vasili Levski National Stadium after the game, the Aston Villa defender revealed the issue had started even before kick-off on Monday night.

“I heard it before I even got to the other side of the pitch for the warm up,” he said.

“We then spoke about it when we came in after the warm up and, obviously, I don’t need to spell it out.

“I think everybody heard the chants, but we stood together and we made certain decisions.

“Just before half-time we were contemplating coming off the pitch because that was the next step after a stadium announcement but there were a couple of minutes to go to half-time.

“So we thought we’d play the couple of minutes, go into half-time and talk about it then which we did and we made a collective decision.

“Everyone was happy to continue, everyone was happy to see if things improved in the second half and I think it was important that we allowed the correct protocol to be followed and things were better in the second half.”

Mings insisted he was not personally affected by the abuse, which he said was the first time he had been targeted throughout his football career.

“It did not affect my feelings one bit. I felt a bit sorry for the people that have these views,” he added.

“I feel it is not a reflection of the views of the whole country and I feel that the appropriate steps were taken.

“It didn’t affect my feeling but I was aware that we had to follow the right protocols, and not think it does not affect me so I won’t report it.

“I have a duty to people that don’t have a voice or that perhaps are abused and it does hurt or get to them. I don’t know why it does not affect me, it just doesn’t.”

While step two of UEFA’s protocol was not initiated, Mings was satisfied with the process and pleased with how the players stuck together.

When asked if he felt the protocols had worked, he said: “They did, yes.

“I didn’t hear anything in the second half. I can’t speak for everybody, but I can speak for myself. So I think fans were removed and if that was the case then I think the protocol has definitely worked.

“We were here to play football, so we didn’t want to really be having these conversations but it was important we made a collective decision.

“We represent a lot of people and we have to not just make a stance for ourselves, but we have to make it clear these things won’t be accepted. So it was important to consult everyone at half-time and everybody made the decision, and we played on the whole game.”

Having found out he was in line to make his debut, Mings flew out some of his family at short notice to cheer him on – a decision he does not regret despite the events of the night.

“I’m immensely proud, it is a dream come true for sure,” he said of his debut.

“It is the pinnacle of English football, everybody dreams of representing their country, everybody knows my journey. I was extremely proud and had my friends and family in the crowd, so I don’t think they will let it overshadow this.

“I was absolutely happy they were here tonight and it will be a memory we will talk about for a long, long time – a good memory.”

Ryan Giggs saluted the character of his Wales team after a 1-1 draw against Croatia kept alive their Euro 2020 qualifying chances.

Gareth Bale’s 33rd goal for his country cancelled out Nikola Vlasic’s ninth-minute strike to keep Wales within touching distance of a top-two spot.

Wins away to Azerbaijan and at home to Hungary next month would secure qualification, as long as Slovakia do not collect more than four points from their last two games.

Slovakia’s next game is in Croatia, where the World Cup finalists will be seeking to book their ticket to next summer’s European Championship.

“We showed character coming back, we didn’t panic,” Wales boss Giggs said after the Cardiff draw.

“We showed commitment, but quality as well. I don’t get a lot of time with them, but what they showed doesn’t surprise me as I see the quality in training.

“We have played two teams, Slovakia and now Croatia, who can hurt you.

“But it’s credit to them, we gave them the information and it’s a step forward.”

Giggs described Daniel James as “streetwise” after the Manchester United winger was clattered by defender Domagoj Vida in the first half.

James received lengthy treatment from medics on the pitch, but he was able to continue and Giggs said the 21-year-old had passed the concussion protocols.

“The physio came over but there was no problem. We did all the (concussion) tests at half-time and he was fine,” Giggs said.

“He stayed down and was a bit streetwise. He told the doctors ‘I’m not moving, I’m just sitting still’.

“Not to get anyone sent off, he was just using his nous.”

Wales will head to Azerbaijan next month without the influential Joe Allen.

The Stoke midfielder collected his third booking of the competition and will be suspended for the Baku clash.

“He knew he was on a booking, but I don’t think he realised there was a player behind him,” Giggs said.

“We will miss his composure but we’ve players who can come in.

“Joe Morrell was fantastic to come on in that situation against Croatia.

“We have to win our last two games but that point could be vital.

“We’re relying on Croatia to beat Slovakia, but we need to win our two games. It won’t be easy.”

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic was unhappy with Bale’s equaliser after Mateo Kovacic had been left on the turf by Ben Davies’ challenge in first-half stoppage time.

The Chelsea midfielder did not return for the second half but Dalic said: “He seems to be fine.

“But he felt his knee in that challenge so we’ll see in the next few days what the diganosis is.

“Mateo was injured and had to leave the game, but we can’t allow ourselves to concede a goal in this way.

“We are not very happy. It was similar to the games against Hungary.

“We started well and scored, but we didn’t continue in same aggressive way.”

 

Germany coach Joachim Low reflected on a job well done in Tallinn after his side overcame the early dismissal of Emre Can to beat Estonia 3-0 in their Euro 2020 qualifier.

Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan scored twice in the second half after the Juventus midfielder had been shown a straight red card for a professional foul.

Substitute Timo Werner added a third as Germany, who had been depleted by injuries, moved level on points with Group C leaders Holland and three clear of Northern Ireland.

“Firstly, I’m happy we got the job done. It was tough work out there,” Low said at his press conference.

“We had to regroup after the red card, the team did well after the break, we did not concede and scored three goals.

“The decisive factor was that we increased the tempo in the second half and kept calm.

“This week was not easy, with all the injuries and everything. We stayed calm and scored, so we are pleased.”

The German head coach had no complaints with Can’s dismissal.

After allowing the ball to run across him as he turned on the edge of the penalty area, former Liverpool midfielder Can made a rash sliding challenge to trip Frank Liivak as the Estonia forward looked to get clear on goal.

“Looking at the situation, you cannot award a yellow, it’s a red card,” Low said.

Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had replaced Marc-Andre Ter Stegen to captain Germany.

The Bayern Munich keeper felt the team had dealt well with the situation they found themselves in so early on.

“We were down to 10 men after 15 minutes, which makes everything more difficult as you have to reset,” Neuer said according to www.dfb.de.

“Because of that, I didn’t think it was a bad performance. It was a matter of time when the goals would eventually come. At some point we put them away.”

Estonia had been thrashed 8-0 in Mainz just four months ago.

Manager Karel Voolaid felt his side had produced a response.

“The fighting spirit was better than in Mainz, but it is the class of the opponent which beats us,” he told reporters.

“I really wanted a goal – for the team, for the audience, for the fans. I believed we could get some bravery from that.

“But let’s face it – if they were 11, we would have had a very, very hard fight.

“Even a 10-man Germany is very difficult to beat if they are organised in defence.”

Spain head coach Robert Moreno was disappointed with his side’s performance as they were held to a 1-1 Euro 2020 Group F qualifying draw by Norway.

Josh King scored a stoppage-time penalty as Norway fought back after Saul Niguez had given the away side the lead two minutes after the break.

The result, combined with Sweden’s 4-0 victory over Malta, meant Spain’s wait to qualify for next summer’s finals continued as they hold a five-point lead at the top of the table.

Spain head to second-placed Sweden on Tuesday with a point needed to make it through and, in quotes reported by AS, Moreno said: “It wasn’t the game we wanted.

“I don’t have the feeling that they’ve caused us much danger beyond the penalty.

“When a team has nothing to lose these things can happen. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth because it was at the end of the game.

“The message now is that with a draw against Sweden we will qualify, and that’s what we are going try and do.”

Spain captain Sergio Ramos helped keep Norway at bay until the last-minute leveller ruined a clean sheet as he made history by becoming Spain’s most-capped player, passing Iker Casillas with his 168th international appearance.

Real Madrid defender Ramos was booked with 11 minutes remaining meaning he will miss Tuesday’s match.

On Ramos, Moreno added: “Ramos’ record is incredible, and still he has the desire to continue competing and wanting to keep winning titles.

“I want to congratulate him publicly and hopefully he can give us plenty of joy for a long time to come.”

Ramos admitted he was disappointed to only collect a point after breaking the national record but hopes Spain can learn and move on from their mistakes.

He said: “I have a bittersweet taste. I would have liked to beat the record with a victory.

“In the end, being a legend or not is marked by people. Being active, it is difficult to name someone with that word. I enjoy every day. The numbers are there. It will be seen in the future.

“I thank everyone for the support I have felt, from my family, colleagues, coaches…I have enjoyed a wonderful career with Spain. I will be eternally grateful. I still want to win with Spain.

“It was not one of the best games, but we added a point.

“From the results that are not so good, we must learn. Not everything has been positive. That helps us to grow as a team. You have to be optimistic. The last matches have been very good.”

King was delighted with his late equaliser leaving Norway still in contention four points further back in fourth.

King : “You have to have balls to take that penalty. It was lovely that it went in.

“The crowd helped us today. They gave us an extra push for the last 10 minutes. We put up a good fight in the first half and raised ourselves the last 15 to 20 minutes in the second half.

“We have everything to play for Romania. We need to focus on ourselves. There are three games left and we have to try to score nine points.”

Gareth Southgate says England got what they deserved after the Czech Republic inflicted their first qualifying defeat in a decade.

The Three Lions blew the chance to seal Euro 2020 qualification with three matches to spare as the Czechs capitalised on the visitors’ listless performance in Prague.

Harry Kane’s fifth-minute penalty was as good as it got for England, with Jakub Brabec quickly levelling and substitute Zdenek Ondrasek netting a dream debut goal late on as the Czech Republic secured a memorable 2-1 comeback win.

Southgate had no arguments about the outcome as his side’s ponderous performance led to a 43-match unbeaten run in European and World Cup qualifying matches coming to an end, 10 years and a day since losing 1-0 in Ukraine.

“Clearly that’s not a night that we wanted to be a part of in terms of that record,” Southgate said.

“We didn’t play well enough, simple as that. We conceded possession of the ball too cheaply.

“Particularly in the first half we didn’t create enough chances. Second half we had some good chances that we didn’t take and throughout the night we were too open out of possession.

“Some of that was because of giving the ball away. So we gave the Czechs, who played well, got to give them credit, we gave them too many opportunities to score.”

Few could have foreseen this outcome given the way England carved the Czechs open to win March’s Group A opener 5-0.

But, much like last month’s 5-3 win against Kosovo, Southgate’s side looked shaky at the back – and this time they lacked the attacking spark to get them through.

“I think whatever the balance, we didn’t use the ball well enough,” said the England boss, whose side face Bulgaria in Sofia on Monday.

“And in terms of a wake-up call, I think we’ve had a lot of plaudits. I think we’ve always maintained that there’s a lot of work to be done to be a really top team.

“I think tonight was clear evidence of that. We have to respond in the right way. We have a couple of days to regroup, not long, and we have to reward our supporters with a better performance than we gave tonight.

“I don’t think it’s a night for positives, that’s for sure. I think it’s a night to accept the defeat, congratulate the Czechs and accept that we have to be better than we were.”

Asked how much blame he accepts having selected some out-of-form players in an ineffective 4-2-3-1 formation, Southgate said: “Yeah, look, I always have to accept responsibility.

“We tried something to make ourselves a bit more solid without the ball, and that didn’t happen.

“We didn’t look any more solid, and we were poor at using the ball in the first half.

“That said, at 1-1, at half-time, we were able to change that. I think we were better in the second half and we created chances to win the game.

“In terms of the players, I think there are players who aren’t playing well for their clubs, but that’s the situation we’re in at the moment, certainly in a couple of positions. So, yeah, we collectively have to accept the result, but of course, as the manager, then I’ve got to accept that as well, absolutely.”

Czech counterpart Jaroslav Silhavy spoke in the pre-match press conference about targeting England’s imperfections, yet could hardly believe how much joy they experienced on Friday night.

“I’m obviously over the moon but I have to thank my players, first and foremost, because they played great,” he said.

“It was a 100 per cent performance and that is the only way to succeed really, so we are very happy and I think time will show that we made history tonight because we defeated England after so many years and at a time when they are playing really well.

“The performance was really great, we were active and made England sweat even though they are a very strong team.”

Scotland manager Steve Clarke told his players to make sure their 4-0 defeat in Russia was the “lowest of the low” after putting their second-half capitulation down to “fragile confidence”.

Scotland goalkeeper David Marshall only had one save to make in the first half in Moscow and the visitors improved in possession in the early stages of the second period.

But Artem Dzyuba’s 57th-minute opener sparked a flurry of goals. Dzyuba volleyed home after holding off Charlie Mulgrew from a corner and later stabbed home his second after Scotland switched off following a short corner.

Magomed Ozdoev thumped home from long range and Aleksandr Golovin slotted home from 10 yards as Scotland endured a second successive 4-0 loss.

Clarke has now suffered four defeats in his five games in charge and Scotland sit fifth in European Championship qualifying Group I, four points adrift of Cyprus in third.

When asked where it had gone wrong, Clarke said: “We conceded a soft goal. The first goal is soft, from a corner. Man on man we have to do better.

“From there we quickly found our way out the game. We allowed the game to run away from us.

“I have to put it down to fragile confidence. The players seemed to lose heart very quickly, which is unfortunate because we had done OK up to that point.”

With a top-two finish all but impossible before Scotland kicked off in the Luzhniki Stadium, Clarke had been looking to start building for the play-offs in March.

When asked how he builds Scotland up with just three games left, he said: “Hard work, maybe one or two different selections in terms of squad as well as starting 11. We can’t keep conceding goals.

“You have to give a nod of your head to the quality of opposition we have faced recently in Belgium and Russia, two very good teams who I am sure will be involved in the latter stages of Euro 2020.

“But for us it’s trying to make sure this is the very, very bottom of the lowest and then build from here and make sure come March we are able to be very, very competitive and get through the play-offs and give ourselves the chance to be in the same championships.”

The former Kilmarnock boss added: “In all the games we have played there have been moments where you can see what we are trying to do and where we are trying to get to.

“But listen, the results are dreadful, there is no getting away from that.

“We have to do better, we have to work harder and we have to make sure as a group of people working together that we keep improving. And we have to make sure this is the lowest of the low.”

Russia head coach Stanislav Cherchesov gave his opinion on how the game had changed.

“I told the players at half-time – and before the game but they didn’t listen – that we shouldn’t pass the ball too much in the middle of the field, just send the ball to areas where there was danger,” he said.

Germany had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Argentina in their friendly in Dortmund despite Serge Gnabry continuing his rich vein of form.

Gnabry, who bagged four goals in Bayern Munich’s 7-2 thrashing of Tottenham in the Champions League last week, opened the scoring on 15 minutes and then set up Kai Havertz to make it 2-0 at Signal Iduna Park.

However, an Argentina side without the suspended Lionel Messi fought back in the second half to secure a draw thanks to goals from substitutes Lucas Olario and Lucas Ocampos.

Germany should have opened the scoring after 14 minutes after some intricate, one-touch football allowed them to play out of their own half and release Julian Brandt down the right, but the Borussia Dortmund winger’s shot was too close to goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin, who saved with his feet.

However, the home side kept Argentina pegged back and deservedly went in front just two minutes later as Lukas Klostermann pulled the ball back from the byline and Gnabry nudged the ball beyond Marcos Rojo’s lunging tackle before lifting it into the far corner.

That was Gnabry’s 10th goal for his country from just his 11th appearance and the 24-year-old turned provider five minutes later to set up Germany’s second of the night.

Manchester United defender Rojo was caught in possession five yards inside Germany’s half and Klostermann surged forward before feeding Gnabry to square the ball for Havertz, who was left with the simple task of sliding in his first international goal.

The home side were inches away from extending their lead shortly after the half-hour when Marcel Halstenberg curled a free-kick against the underside of the bar from 25 yards out and Niklas Sule was unable to head the rebound on target.

The bar was probably still reverberating by the time Argentina struck the woodwork at the other end, midfielder Rodrigo De Paul unleashing a thunderous drive which came back off the post.

Emre Can came close to extending Germany’s lead early in the second half but Joachim Low’s side were ultimately punished for taking their foot off the gas as Manuel Acuna’s cross was brilliantly headed into the far corner by Alario midway through the second half.

Alario, who had come off the bench just four minutes before scoring, also saw a shot deflected inches wide before Ocampos responded to being booked for bringing down Klostermann by curling home the equaliser five minutes from time with a shot which took a slight deflection off the unfortunate Can.