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England's headache, fancied squads and sticker stories – Football Weekly Extra

Max Rushden and co assess England’s priorities, Old Trafford hymn sheets, Panini versus Merlin and moreRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts,Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acastand Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.Max Rushden is joined by Jonathan Wilson, Sachin Nakrani and Michael Butler to look ahead to a feast of friendlies before this World Cup business that starts in 12 weeks’ time. Continue reading...

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Where do Tottenham and PSG go from here? – Football Weekly Extra

Max Rushden and co discuss the Champions League, the battle for survival, a weekend preview and, er, John Hartson’s underwear habitsRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts,Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acastand Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, John Brewin and Jonathan Wilson to summarise an eventful week in the Champions League. Continue reading...

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James Brent lays foundations for Plymouth’s dream of greater things | Ben Fisher

After ultimately saving Argyle, the owner has helped to give fans the chance to dream of reaching the ChampionshipLast Sunday marked seven years since a financially crippled Plymouth Argyle entered administration, a time when 40 full‑time staff went nine months without being paid. They were dark days in deepest Devon but, zoom in on a run of one defeat in 15 league matches over the past three months and, like Gary Sawyer, the captain, you, too, will be scrabbling to find the right adjective to describe an equally extraordinary transformation.Plymouth were bottom with 17 points from 20 matches in League One on the morning of 9 December 2017, at which point the club were 5,000-1 for promotion. However, since a...

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‘There are no barriers in football other than the white lines we play within’ | Ben Fisher

Karl Robinson takes time off from Charlton’s League One promotion push to lend LGBT-friendly Charlton Invicta a hand as part of Football v Homophobia’s month of action“Now we’re like the Harlem Globetrotters,” Karl Robinson says, excitedly, only the players smiling back at the Charlton Athletic manager, gradually getting to grips with a passing drill, are not his.Those determined to dazzle are a dozen Charlton Invicta players, who play for the LGBT-friendly team affiliated with the club’s community trust. It is the first time a professional manager has taken a session of this kind. Related: Charlton Invicta show way forward for LGBT footballing community | Nick Miller Continue reading...

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Leeds’ move for Paul Heckingbottom is a gamble for both parties

Heckingbottom can focus on coaching in a way that became impossible at Barnsley but inherits a mishmash of a squad which looks meek beside most of Leeds’ promotion rivalsThis season was supposed to be different for Leeds United. But an embarrassing FA Cup exit at Newport County last month proved the beginning of the end for Thomas Christiansen, paving the way for the club’s 10th manager since February 2012. In hiring Paul Heckingbottom, Leeds have landed a coach with a burgeoning reputation, renowned for accelerating the development of younger players, plucking and polishing rough diamonds, and crafting a vibrant and expressive Barnsley team on limited resources.In between the release of that cringeworthy club crest last month, an alarming dip in...

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