England Lionesses: Sarina Wiegman to succeed Phil Neville in September 2021

Netherlands Woman’s manager Sarina Wiegman is to take over from Phill Neville as England’s Head Coach from September 2021. 

 The former Dutch midfielder, whose team won The European Championships in 2017, is set to sign a four-year deal, while Neville will leave his Head Coach role next summer. 

Following her confirmed appointment, Wiegman said:

“England is the cradle of football and I’m very much looking forward to contributing my experience and expertise to this ambitious team.”

The first tournament that Wigeman will be in charge of the Lionesses is the Women’s Euro 2021 on home soil, which has subsequently been pushed back until July 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.  

England-born ex USA Manager Jill Ellis was also said to be in the running for the job whose USA Team has won the past two World Cups.

Last Month The FA reviled that they had 142 Applications for the Job with Head of Woman’s Football Baroness Sue Campbell saying:

“The players deserve the best and I will bring them the best if I can”

Wiegman has a contract with the Dutch FA till the end of 2021.

Neville’s contract, however, runs out at the end of 2021. He could still be in charge though, of Team GB should Wiegman chose to stay with the Dutch during that Tournament.

The Games in Japan are due to take place from July 29th till 8th August.

Having reached the Semi-Finals of their last three Major Tournament’s, the FA wanted to appoint someone who can take the team that one step further and ultimately lead them to World Cup glory. 

Wiegman lead her side to glory as hosts of Euro 2017 where they beat The Lionesses, managed by Mark Sampson 3-0 in the last four.

She also guided the Netherlands to there first World Cup final two years later, even though they lost to Ellis’ USA in the Final

Wiegman is well-acquainted with the English game as many of her star players play in the the Woman’s Super League including: forward Vivianne Miedema and midfielder Danielle Van Da Donk, Both of Arsenal and Manchester United’s Jackie Groenen.

Derby County Vs Nottingham Forest PREVIEW

The race for the play-offs heats up with The East Midland’s Derby between Derby County and Nottingham Forest.

Indeed, in my opinion, there is no bigger Derby match as both sides from the A52 go head to head once again for the prize of three points. For both teams a win will surely cement their place in the play-offs at the end of the season.

Matches between the two sides have produced lots of strange things in the past. Early Goals, Red cards, Manager’s fighting on the touchline etc etc. But this match will be even more strange. As this will be the first time this fixture will take place without fans. But both sides have to get on with it as best as they can. Forest will certainly relish the opportunity of playing without the roarkus Derby home support.

Both sides come into this fixture in good form since the season restarted.  Forest have picked up seven points from their three games. Derby, meanwhile, have taken the maximum nine on offer from their three matches.

Forest currently sit in 4th place on 67 points from 40 games, while Derby are lying in 7th on 60 points, one point off the final play-off position that is currently occupied by Cardiff City.  

The teams have already met twice this season, once in the League, while the other match took place in the  League Cup early in the season. Subsequently, Forest came out on top in both matches.  

In the League Cup, Forest won 3-0 thanks to goals from Sammy Ameobi, Joe Lolley and Joao Carvalho. While in the League, Lewis Grabban scored the only goal of the game as he latched on to a shocking mistake in the Derby backline.

As mentioned previously, both sides have good form coming into this game, with Forest beating Bristol City 1-0 in midweek and Derby winning by the same score line at Preston North End. Derby’s form has improved significantly since Wayne Rooney has got into the swing of things which has transformed them from midtable to play off contenders.

Lewis Grabban is Forest leading goal scorer on 19 for the season and will be looking to be the first Forest Player to hit 20 in a season Since David johnson and Marlon Harewood did it in the 02/03 Season.

The final run of games will certainly have a big say on where both clubs will finish. Forest’s Remaining Matches are: Fulham (H), Preston (A), Swansea (H), Barnsley (A) and Stoke (H)

Derby Remaining Matches:  West Brom (A), Brentford (H), Cardiff (A), Leeds (H) and Birmingham (A)

One thing is for certain, this game is sure to be a cracker!

Referee for this Match is Darren England

Karl’s prediction:  2-1 Forest win

This Match is Live on Sky Sports and BBC Radio Nottingham from 12 noon KO 12.30

 

Hawk-Eye apologises after Goal Technology error denies Sheffield United

The Operator of the Premier League’s Goal-Line technology has apologised for an error that denied Sheffield United a goal during their 0-0 draw with Aston Villa.

Villa goalkeeper Orjan Nyland carried Oliver Norwood’s 42nd Minaute free kick over the line but the referee, Michael Oliver did not receive a signal to indicate a goal should be awarded.

Following this unfortunate incident, Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder said:

” I think the goalkeeper was halfway in the Holt End when he caught it” 

Hawk-Eye subsequently responded saying:

“It unreservedly apologises and acknowledged that the ball had in fact crossed the line.”

The SMART products company also said that it was the first time that an error of this kind has occurred since it’s introduction to the English game in over 9,000 matches. 

Wilder, who was seen walking towards Michael Oliver at half time also said:

“We went to Tottenham last year and John Lundstram’s big toe was offside and I was hanging around for 10 Minutes in the pouring rain to await a decision.  I don’t understand why I can’t wait for 10 minutes in Birmingham!”

The body responsible for Premier referees’, The Professional Match Official Limited (PGMOL) when asked why the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) had not interfered, said:

“It had not intervened due to the unique situation that the on-field match official’s was not getting a signal.”

Former Premier League referee, Mark Clattenberg has since told the BBC that VAR should have helped Michael and his team as they were not sure what was going on.

Clattenberg, who has refereed over 300 matches in the top flight, said:

“That this system needs to be more looked at and it aso needs to work along side the VAR and the Hawk-eye Team who work so hard together to come to the right call on the pitch”

The Hawk-Eye Company has subsequently said:  

“Hawk-Eye unreservedly apologises to the Premier League, Sheffield United and everyone affected by this incident”

In what was the first Premier League match back due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the result leaves Chris Wilder’s side 6th in the League, while Villa remain in 19th.

Sheffield Wednesday Vs Nottingham Forest Match Preview as EFL Championship Returns

The EFL Championship Returns

Well it has been a long three months since a ball was last kicked in the Championship. and the whole footballing world has taken a back seat as the Covid 19 Pandemic took hold with every major sporting event postponed. Fans of all teams must have been asking would football ever return?  Well as it turns out both League One and League Two being called off . Subsequently, it is the Premier League and the EFL Championship that are going ahead.

So Sheffield Wednesday Vs Nottingham Forest is a match the Forest fans have been waiting for to see how the team has handled three months of no football. They have all been back in training at the Nigel Doughty Academy and with only nine games left to go in the season its all still to play for. Forest are sitting in 5th place, very nicely in the Play-off places on 60 points, with opponents Sheffield Wednesday 15th in the League currently on 48 points, 12 behind Forest and only six behind Preston North End, who hold the last Play Off Place. Both sides had lost their last games before lockdown happened. Forest suffered a 3-0 at home defeat to Millwall, while Wednesday lost 5-0 away to Brentford.

When the sides last meet in the League it was a game that most Forest Fans will want to forget as the Reds were beaten 4-0 at home, this being the worst performance in the League this season.

” I take full account for this performance it was way below our way of playing and i will do everything i can to put it right”

Sabri Lamouchi after the 4-0 home loss to Wednesday

That game will not live long in the minds of most Forest fans, who were there that day as Forest were 4-0 down by half time and most of the 28,002 who attended had walked out at half-time. Never before have so many fans left a game after the first half!

Fast forward on from that game and Forest are now in a better place then they were that day, sitting in 5th place 10 points of second place West Brom and 11 Points off top spot Leeds United. Can Forest continue on there quest for promotion and finally go back to the top league. If Forest want to start this mini-season in the best way then they have to do all they can to come back with all three points. This means stopping Jordan Rhodes, who just loves playing against the reds as it was his 15 minute hat-trick that set the Owls on there way to victory when the sides last met.

Forest will have Samba Sow and Thiago Silva back to boost the midfield, the pair were injured before the lockdown.

Karl’s Score Prediction Sheffield Wednesday 2-3 Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest were Promoted to The Championship After beating Yeovil Town

Most die hard Nottingham Forest Fans will have seen so many fantastic games at the City Ground. I don’t think, however, in all my 15 years of following the Reds have I ever seen a game quite like this.

It all came down to 90 minutes of football, Forest had to win and hope that Doncaster slipped up at Cheltenham. It was the final day of the League One season.

Forest started the day in 3rd place and they were playing Yeovil, a team that had ended Forest’s Play-Off hopes the previous season. Even before the Players came out onto the pitch, the whole City Ground was buzzing with excitement knowing that this could be their day that they won Promotion from League One. Forest had after all spent the past three years in that division.  It was a Sunny Day at a Packed City Ground and the noise was epic. The Forest players knew that they had to get the job done or risk the Play Offs one more time.

If you think that the Players and Fans were nervous none were more nervous than The BBC Radio Nottingham Sport’s Team Of Robin Chipperfiled, Colin Fray and John McGovern. It was there job to not only commentate on the action but keep all the fans informed on what the score was down at the Cheltenham vs Doncaster Match.

It was a nervous opening 10 minutes or so with both Forest and Yeovil getting some early touches of the ball.  In the 12th minute of the match however the breakthrough arrived as Kris Commons planted a beautiful ball into the box . The Yeovil backline cleared the danger only as far as Forest’ Player of the Year, Julian Bennett, who put in a great tackle, that even Stuart Pearce would of been proud off.

Bennett picked up the ball and sent a rocket of a shot into the top left hand corner giving the Yeovil goalkeeper, Steve Mildenhall no chance.

That goal meant so much to Jules, his nickname to the fans, as being a local boy with his family and friends sat in the stands you could see on his face how much it meant too him. It was the perfect start for The Reds.

Jules said after the game:

“That goal was the best that i have ever scored in all of my time playing football, but I loved that tackle almost as well as the goal”

Yeovil came back after 15 minutes as they worked the ball up the pitch through Jaime Peters, who played a one two with Marcus Stewart and calmly walked the ball into the net from six yards out making it  1-1.

Now it truly was game on, Forest however did not have to wait long to restore their lead as Kris Commons was played in by Brett Ormerod and Yeovil were looking for the offside flag that never came. Commons had timed his run to perfection and subsequently  slotted the ball under the body of the goalkeeper, making it 2-1 to the reds.

Then came the moment that all Forest fans had been hoping for, at around the same time as Forest were getting back in front, Cheltenham Town were leading Doncaster by a goal to nil. BBC Radio Nottingham’s Reds Commentator was getting the news via his earphones.

Colin Fray BBC Radio Nottingham reds Commentator “Cheltenham 1 Doncaster Nil This Time i can Confirm It” when that score was given out The whole Place cheered as if Forest had scored again.

Forest were 2-1 ahead with over 28 minutes played and had at this moment in time one foot back in the Championship.

Then it got even better for Forest as they went 3-1 ahead thanks to a beautiful free kick by Lewis McGugan.  McGugan was brought down 25 yards out from goal and with both himself and Commons standing over the ball there was only going to be one outcome. McGugan stepped up to sent it into the top right hand corner.

Forest were 3-1 ahead and it looked like it was going to be there day despite Doncaster Rovers equalising against Cheltenham.

The Second Half started with Forest attacking the Trent End, as they like to do and with a two goal advantage it seemed that nothing could go wrong. Things started to get even more interesting however as Doncaster went ahead in their game.  That meant Rovers were the ones in 2nd Place with Forest in 3rd. It was getting more tense as the second half continued, it seemed that all was lost.

From nowhere, The Robins were able to pull it back to 2-2, meaning that Forest were now back in 2nd place, so it was back to as you were at the start of the half. Forest once more had it in their own hands.

Yeovil seemed to have other ideas and after 75 minutes they got their second after a corner was taken quickly and Marcus Stewart popped up to head in at the near post. With over 15 minutes plus added time left to play Forest knew that they had to hold one to this slender lead.

Colin Fray ” Forest Please Please Please do not let this lead slip now”

They need not have worried however as the best news was to come, after 80 minutes Cheltenham had scored again making it 3-2 to them. As the news was coming through everyone’s radio the Forest Fans went bonkers, It was party time.

With five minutes of added time to play, Forest just had to get past this and they were there and when news came in that the match at Cheltenham had finished it was celebration time for everyone at Forest: the players, the staff and the fans all now knew that Forest had pipped Rovers to second place.

Now it was all down to referee Fred Graham to blow that whistle and after an extra two minutes, he did. Cue the total pitch invasion as fans and player’s alike all celebrated on the pitch .

It was a pitch invasion like no other as everyone danced around on the hallow turf. BBC Radio Nottingham pitch side reporter Robin Chipperfield had a very hard time in trying to get some reaction from the players. He eventually managed to get some in the dressing room.

He spoke to Lewis McGugan after the match and McGugan said:

“This is the most unbeleavable moment of my life to have finally done it. All the players and staff kept going even when the other score were coming in.

“It felt wired at times as it was like, are we up or are we not. It was a rollercoaster of a game and its one that I will never forget in a hurry.”

Forest had done it. They were promoted back to The Championship after three long hard seasons in League One.

We must however give credit to all the Yeovil Fans who stayed behind to clap off the Forest players staff and there family’s on the lap of honour.

It was a game that had everything,  the team at BBC Radio Nottingham must also be given plaudits for keeping a cool, calm head when giving out the scores and making sure that everyone was updated.

Its a game that I will never forget in a hurry and I hope that at some point we will see that same kind of atmosphere again, if the EFL Season restarts. We will have to wait and see….