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Nottingham Forest fans fear Ben Osborn is a gifted asset waiting to be cashed in

After their side beat Bristol City for a first Championship win since 2 December, supporters await with trepidation the return of owner Fawaz al-HasawiFawaz al-Hasawi is expected to return to Nottingham this week, with the whiff of sulphur from the flares of Saturday’s protest against him still hanging in the air on the banks of the Trent. Nottingham Forest fans want him out of the club he purchased four and a half years ago but the Kuwaiti, who has performed more three-point turns than a learner driver, does not appear willing to leave and his motives for remaining become less clear by the minute.Not long after the shrieks of relief at Ben Osborn’s creative flair, which brought a first victory...

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Football clubs suffering as owners experiment with chaos theory

‘Communication is difficult,’ say Morecambe of contacting their Brazilian owner, who disappeared within a few months of taking over, but more and more clubs seem to have problemsIf we are going to be generous, it is fair to assume Diego Lemos must have a few stories that have been passed down through the family. His father, Luisinho Tombo, was the leading scorer in the Rio State League of Brazil on two separate occasions, the most prolific striker in the history of his first club, America, with 311 goals, and played alongside Zico at Flamengo. One uncle, Caio Cambalhota, was at Flamengo and another, César Maluco, was part of Brazil’s 1974 World Cup squad because of his performances for Palmeiras.Whether that makes...

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Bradford Bulls’ fate was down to years of mismanagement of a trailblazing club | Aaron Bower

Liquidation of the famous club, world champions as recently as 2006, has shamed many but the RFL has confirmed a new entity will be formedIt was perhaps the opening few words of the Rugby Football League’s statement regarding the liquidation of Bradford Bulls which struck the most telling chord of all. “While this is terribly disappointing and sad,” they said, “it is not an entirely surprising development given the scale of debt incurred by the previous management of the club and the debilitating level of financial commitment already entered into for 2017.” Related: Bradford Bulls go into liquidation after years of financial struggle Continue reading...

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Football League your thoughts: Reading lead strong Championship chasing pack | Tom Davies

Impressive wins for all three sides keeps pressure on Newcastle and Brighton, Sheffield United inflict more Boxing Day misery on Oldham and Doncaster take over at the top of League Two• All the Boxing Day scores and scorers• With Newcastle United losing to Sheffield Wednesday and Brighton not playing until Tuesday night, their three closest pursuers at the top – Reading, Huddersfield Town and Leeds United – all made ground on them with impressive victories. Third-placed Reading moved to within five points of second place with a 3-1 win over Norwich City. Related: Glenn Loovens shocks Newcastle in Sheffield Wednesday bruising Continue reading...

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Gianfranco Zola puts on brave face after hospital pass at Birmingham | Nick Miller

The Italian walked to the dugout to no fanfare and saw his new team lose 2-1 to Brighton but many fans cannot understand why he has replaced Gary RowettHad you arrived at St Andrew’s on Saturday having not read any news in the previous week, you would not have known Birmingham had a new manager. As Gianfranco Zola walked towards the dugout there was no fanfare, no introduction, no real hearty welcome from the home supporters. Some handshakes, a couple of autographs, a few more photographers than usual, but the fans of Birmingham did not greet their new leader like a new hero, arriving in town to save the day.That is at least partly because not many of them can...

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